As floods ease, Australia's biggest state braces for damaging surf and wind

FILE PHOTO: A view shows a flooded street following heavy rains in the town of Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia March 30, 2022 in this still image taken from a video. Australian Broadcasting Corporation/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. AUSTRALIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN AUSTRALIA. NO USE .COM.AU INTERNET SITES, ANY INTERNET SITE OF ANY AUSTRALIA BASED MEDIA ORGANISATIONS OR MOBILE PLATFORMS, AUSTRALIAN NVO CLIENTS, SMH.COM.AU, NEWS.COM.AU. MANDATORY CREDIT./File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The entire coast of Australia's most populous state was told to brace for high waves and powerful winds on Thursday as a low pressure system that left entire towns flooded moved offshore.

The change brought a reprieve for large swathes of northern New South Wales - flooded this week for the second time in a month - but it spreads the risk across some 2,000 km (1,200 miles) of coastline including the country's biggest city, Sydney.