As the storm clouds move south from NSW the multi-million dollar recovery effort is ramping up, with many residents who were evacuated from low-lying Sydney suburbs being told it's safe to go home.
It comes as the search continues for a man, reported to be an American studying in Sydney, who witnesses said jumped from rocks into surging waves at Bondi Beach on Monday.
People forced to leave when rising floodwaters threatened homes and lives around the Milperra, Chipping Norton, Picnic Point and East Hills areas in the city's southwest were on Wednesday afternoon given the all clear by the SES, who are warning returning residents to take extra care.
The city's north was also hit badly.
Almost 700 evacuations were ordered at Narrabeen and at nearby Collaroy, eight-metre waves combined with the highest tide of the year led to backyards, balconies and a swimming pool slipping into the sea.
Another high tide is due on Tuesday evening and the seven multimillion-dollar beachside homes and a unit block teetering on the badly eroded coastline face another hammering.
Three men died in NSW and the ACT during the storms, all ignoring warnings from authorities to stay away from dangerous flood waters.
A 65-year-old man, named in media as Robbie Pollard, was found dead in his car in Mittagong Creek near Bowral on Monday, a day after he was reported missing.
Another man, named as 70-year-old Ahmed Elomar, drowned when his ute was swept away in Riley's Creek at Leppington in Sydney's southwest.
Authorities have also recovered the body of a 37-year-old Canberra man after it was discovered on Monday.
The body of a woman, believed to be in her 20s, was also recovered off Dover Heights on Tuesday afternoon.
The devastation in the southwest was viewed first-hand by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who joined with NSW Premier Mike Baird in a visit to Picton and said he was sure insurers would support the hardest-hit communities.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten, who visited storm-ravaged Coogee on Tuesday afternoon, also urged insurers to treat customers fairly.
But in another blow to homeowners, many of the Collaroy homes are not likely to be insured against damage from the sea, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said.
Most housing insurance policies don't typically cover "actions of the sea", which includes coastal erosion, king tides or storm surges, said ICA's Campbell Fuller in a statement.
Almost 14,500 claims, totalling about $56 million, had been received from Queensland and NSW by 9am on Tuesday, and more are expected.
An open-ended support package from government for families and businesses affected by the flooding and storms has also been announced, which includes interest-free loans and grants for individuals, small businesses and community groups of up to $130,000.
The storm has mostly passed NSW. However a severe weather warning remains in place over fears abnormally high tides could cause flooding and erosion from the Hunter to the south coast.
The most dangerous time, the Bureau of Meteorology said, is three hours either side of the king tide, forecast to arrive about 10pm.
