But while authorities have been warning residents to stay indoors as Cyclone Alfred approaches, die-hard surfers have been throwing caution to the increasing wind."This is what we look forward to," said Jeff Weatherall as he waited for a jet ski to pick him up from Kirra beach and carry him into the big waves.

Queensland's homelessness crisis has been exposed by the recent emergency caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Brisbane's Lord Mayor has announced rough sleepers living in so-called 'tent cities' will be given 24 hours notice to leave.

Significant damage and power outages are possible in the densely populated region of Queensland, where tropical cyclones impacts are not uncommon but direct landfalls are.

The storm reached the Queensland coast on Saturday as a "tropical low" after 16 days as a cyclone, prompting preparations by millions of residents.

Cyclone Alfred moved west across Queensland, Australia, on March 9, bringing strong winds and up to 15 inches of rain to some communities.

Before and after pictures of Australia’s east coast show the true scale of devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. What was once a paradise for surfers, with golden, sunlit sands, became a battleground as waves as high as ‘three or four-storey buildings’ slammed into the coastline.

Cyclone Alfred has weakened into a tropical low, but its impact remains severe across Queensland and NSW. Over 300,000 people are without power, and flood risks persist as heavy rain lashes Brisbane.