As south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales prepare for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to cross the coast, an Australian researcher explains what makes this system so unusual.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is bearing down on Queensland's southeast coast as a category two system, and could intensify before making landfall on Thursday night.

The category two system is expected to cross sometime late Thursday afternoon into the early hours of Friday, between Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast and Coolangatta on the Gold Coast.

Australia's east coast braced on Wednesday for a tropical cyclone that is swirling towards Brisbane, the country's third-most populous city, as authorities warned thousands of properties were at risk due to strong winds and flash flooding.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred changes track towards the mainland, with damaging winds and heavy rainfall expected to be felt from tomorrow. Here's how Tuesday unfolded.

New Zealanders in Queensland are battening down the hatches or changing their flights home to make a hasty getaway from the state as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches. One man who flew to Brisbane for the now-cancelled Green Day concert said,

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the southeast Queensland coast late this Thursday as a Category 2 storm. The last tropical cyclone to make landfall in the region was ex-Tropical Cyclone Zoe in 1974, half a century ago.

The stadium gig on the Gold Coast slated for Wednesday night (March 5) was the last stop on the Down Under run of the veteran group's "Saviors" tour.