The same energy that brought Kirra to life last week has slowly morphed into a more malevolent force. Cyclone Alfred was downgraded from a Category 2 cyclone to a tropical low before it made landfall on Saturday into Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred caused huge swells and flooding as it hit Australia's east coast over the weekend. Footage shows beach erosion at the Gold Coast's Surfers Paradise, a car windscreen impaled by a tree and damage to property caused by the storm.

Tropical storm Alfred could cause significant flooding in eastern Australia despite the slowly moving storm no longer being a 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.

Although the wind and rain have since eased in Queensland and New South Wales, large areas remain without power