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.

A kangaroo called “Skippy" was rescued after Tropical Cyclone Alfred recently battered Australia, producing heavy rains and flash flooding along the coast.

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

Home values in cyclone-impacted areas across Queensland are likely to take a hit, but an increase in demand for properties in unaffected suburbs could actually drive prices higher.

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

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.

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.