Rockhampton , Australia ( CNN ) -- While floodwaters in Australia have begun to recede in some areas , the worst could still be on the way for at least one city , the country 's prime minister said Saturday . `` Today I 've been in St. George , and they are still bracing for the peak of the flood , '' Julia Gillard told Australia 's Nine Network , according to a transcript from the prime minister 's office . `` They 're very well prepared , but of course they 're anxious as they await the peak . '' The seasonal flooding in the state of Queensland intensified last month after monsoon rains caused rivers to spill over their banks and reach record levels . The floodwaters have covered an area the size of France and Germany combined , stretching from Queensland into the neighboring state of New South Wales , CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera said Saturday . Cabrera said the projected rainfall for parts of the two states is expected to be above average through March . During a press conference Saturday with Queensland Premier Anna Bligh , Gillard said the situation will get tougher for `` many , many people '' throughout the state of Queensland . She said federal and state officials have made about $ 4 million in emergency payments to individuals and families . `` Of course , that is the money in the pocket , money on the ground now , but there are hundreds of millions more dollars that are going to be required to help Queensland through and to help with the rebuilding , '' Gillard said . Bligh said she was `` very heartened '' by Australians helping Queensland residents in need . The premier 's relief appeal has garnered more than $ 20 million , Bligh said . `` Twenty million dollars worth of aid over and above the hundreds of millions of dollars that each level of government will be contributing to the rebuilding effort will make a huge ( difference ) , particularly to those families who really have lost everything , '' she said . In Rockhampton -- one of the hardest hit cities -- the fast-flowing Fitzroy River was slowly receding after peaking earlier this week at about 9.2 meters ( about 30 feet ) . With many major roads under water , some residents surrounded by the deluge used boats to travel . Government officials have warned residents to avoid flooded areas , saying some road infrastructure can be dangerous after being flooded for days . Officials said the degree of damage remained unclear . `` The full extent of the damage to the 33,000 kilometers of state roads is impossible to quantify right now , '' Craig Wallace , Queensland minister of main roads , said in a statement Friday . `` It will be an unprecedented long-term repair job that will take months , perhaps even years to fully complete , '' he said . The flooding also affected about 40 mines in the coal-rich state , the government said in a statement . Environmental officials were monitoring water discharges from the mines , the statement said . Farmers were particularly hard hit , as water washed over crops and blocked roads used to transport them to market . Global transport of commodities like coal and steel was also stymied . Police said 10 people have died as a result of flooding since November 30 -- many of them swept away by swift waters . The airport in Rockhampton was expected to remain closed for weeks , according to Emergency Management Queensland . At least 200,000 people have been affected by the prolonged flooding , police have said . CNN 's Phil Black contributed to this report .
NEW : Gillard says $ 4 million has been allocated , but hundreds of millions more are needed . Comment: Parts of eastern Australia are forecast to get above-average rainfall until March . Queensland official : The repair could take months or years to complete .