Residents who prepared for the cyclone now have little to do but wait and see how their efforts will pay off against the rising water.

Thousands of Australians are without power as storm Alfred lashes Queensland. Hundreds of thousands in the state of Queensland were without power on Sunday after Alfred, a downgraded tropical cyclone,

Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred lingered off the south-east Australian coast on Saturday and forecasters said Brisbane is likely to miss the worst of the storm, a relief for millions of residents in the region who have been staying indoors.

Sharks have been sighted swimming through Gold Coast canals as Australia continued to struggle with heavy rain and flooding caused by Cyclone Alfred.