14 January 2011Last updated at 10:32

In pictures: Brisbane flood clean-up

A Brisbane street flooded and littered with rubbish and debris

As the floodwaters retreat from Australia's third largest city, Brisbane residents are returning to their homes and businesses to take stock of the damage wrought by the state's worst flooding in decades.

Volunteers tip barrow loads of mud from riverfront houses into the Brisbane River

The murky brown waters that covered some buildings up to their roofs have drained away to leave a stinking, putrid sludge.

A volunteer helps clear mud from the front of a property damaged by flood waters

People are now beginning the heartbreaking task of sifting through their ruined possessions and trying to salvage what they can.

An elderly resident of Fairfield sorts through items damaged by flood waters in her home

Queensland State Premier Anna Bligh said there was "a lot of heartache and grief" as people saw for the first time the extent of the damage.

Volunteers help clear a home which was completely submerged by flood waters

More than 26,000 homes were flooded in Brisbane - 11,900 of them completely inundated - leaving owners homeless for weeks or possibly months.

Residents are using pumps to remove water, and are hosing down muddied floors and stairs to try to stop the mud baking hard in the hot sun.

A man uses a hose to clean a flood damaged carpet shop in the town of Ipswich

Homeowners have thrown out carpets and furniture thickly coated in mud, while businesses have dumped their spoiled stock and rubbish in the streets.

Residents from an unaffected area of Brisbane hand out a free sausage sandwich to a man cleaning a damaged house

Hundreds of volunteers have arrived in Brisbane's flooded areas to help people clean-up their houses and keep them going with supplies of free food in a show of camaraderie.

Asia-Pacific

In pictures: Brisbane flood clean-up

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