Tropical Cyclone Alfred lashed the east coast but thousands remain without power.More than 30,000 properties remain without power across south-east Queensland, with about half of the outages on the Gold Coast.

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.

Australia's east coast has been pounded by rain, wind and surf for a week, with Brisbane recording its highest daily rainfall in half a century.

Rainfall is easing, rivers are receding and the threat of heavy rainfall is disappearing,' says Queensland premier

"Eligible workers and sole traders in Southeast Queensland and New South Wales who've lost income as a direct result of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred will be able to access up to 13 weeks of income support," Albanese said in a media conference on Monday.

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.

Articles and videos about Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred exposes 130-year-old shipwreck in Australia on FOX 35 Orlando.

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 struck the east coast of Australia late Friday, unleashing strong winds, rough surf and dangerous rip currents along popular beaches over the weekend. An estimated 10 to 15 inches fell around Brisbane and on Moreton Island during the storm.

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.