Thousands arrive to lend ahead

THERE were kids with shovels, old ladies with mops, blokes with wheelbarrows, and a stream of strangers offering sandwiches and drinks.

THERE were kids with shovels, old ladies with mops, blokes with wheelbarrows, and a stream of strangers offering sandwiches and drinks.

And there were tens of thousands of them. On every corner, in every street, in every muddy suburb.

Over the past 48 hours, the incredible efforts of the volunteer army ensured the biggest clean-up in Brisbane's history got off to a flying start.

By last night, 12,500 tonnes of rubbish had already been dumped in landfill sites.

But many more tonnes remain stockpiled on footpaths right across the city, and the damp, heavy stench of waste hangs over entire suburbs.

Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said there were 12,000 registered volunteers on Saturday while a further 10,300 people signed up yesterday.

"This is the sort of community spirit that sets us apart from the rest of the world," Mr Newman said in a message to the volunteers.

This was a city-wide show of kindness on a scale that most people -- certainly those who live in the nation's capital cities -- have rarely experienced. "In terms of goodwill it's like Christmas multiplied by a thousand," said one elderly volunteer.

Most locals who pitched in over the weekend did so without formally registering, making the real number of helpers impossible to calculate.

Indeed, thousands travelled from other parts of Queensland and interstate, swelling the army of volunteers to the point that authorities struggled to effectively manage the mass relief effort.

Bundaberg resident Rob Holmes was so moved by the images of devastation he saw on television that he made the four-hour drive to Brisbane on Friday. "People's livelihoods have been taken away. Many of them don't have much more than the shirt on their back and have nowhere to go," he said.

Jenny Leavey, in her 40s, said she was impressed by how many young people were involved.

"I was at a street that was badly affected by the floods and I reckon 90 per cent of the people who were helping were teenagers," Ms Leavey said.

"It was really great to see."

Local business owner John McGill, whose industrial hydraulics company was badly damaged by the floodwaters, was lucky enough to have his footy club mates travel down from Caboolture to help him. "Mates show their true colours at a time like this," he said.