Ex-cyclone Alfred has lashed the islands in Moreton Bay with destructive winds and intense rainfall as it heads for the Queensland coast.

Thousands of Queensland residents were left without power on Sunday after Cyclone Alfred, a downgraded tropical cyclone, caused widespread damage across the state.

Residents are stacking sandbags to protect low-lying properties ahead of a tropical cyclone that is forecast to become the first in 51 years to hit the Australian east coast near Brisbane, the nation’s third-most populous city.

One man died in floodwaters, the authorities said, and over 330,000 customers were without power in South East Queensland.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred was downgraded to a tropical low weather system Saturday as it closed in on Brisbane, Australia. Over 19,000 people have been evacuated, and one remains missing.

Cyclone Alfred weakened into a tropical low Saturday as it neared the rain and wind-lashed eastern coast of Australia where hundreds of thousands of properties were without power.

Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred has officially reached the mainland in Queensland's south-east bringing with it intense winds and fears of flooding.

Cyclone Alfred battered homes along Gold Coast of Australia. Residents have been experiencing strong gusts of wind and continuous heavy rainfall as Cyclone Alfred swept through the region. Footage captured by Jasmeen Bajwa shows trees swaying violently amid the storm on March 6.