Rainfalls of up to 80 millimetres are forecast by the BOM in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, while 50mm could fall in Grafton, where the Clarence River is nearing major flood levels.

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.

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.