NSW Flood Victims Shocked at the Damage

18,000 residents have been forced to evacuate as devastating floods inundate New South Wales.

Schools have been closed, workers have been told to stay home as rain continues to fall.

A barn is seen in this image, taken by the flood.

A restaurateur, Nathan Tomkins, says the past few days have been a nightmare rollercoaster.

After record flooding at the Hastings River, Tomkins' eatery was flooded and made a ruin. A building he has spent 24 years in, ruined.

"The water just went right through and just destroyed everything. There is nothing left," he told ABC TV.

"This is just like a nightmare, it really is."