Australia's east coast has been pounded by rain, wind and surf for a week, with Brisbane recording its highest daily rainfall in half a century.

South East Queensland and northern NSW continue to experience rain and flooding in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Follow our ongoing coverage.

Former Tropical Cyclone Alfred continued to dump heavy rain across large parts of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) while moving inland, inundating roads and leaving tens of thousands of households without power as hundreds of schools remained shut, local media reported Monday.

Significant damage and power outages are possible in the densely populated region of Queensland, where tropical cyclones impacts are not uncommon but direct landfalls are.

Governments are rushing to reopen schools and public transport, despite continued flooding in many areas, road closures, fallen live power lines and damaged homes.

A slow-moving tropical storm crossed islands off Australia’s heavily populated eastern coast late Friday, lashing coastal suburbs with destructive winds and dumping heavy rain across the region.

Cyclone Alfred weakened to a tropical storm on Saturday after crossing islands off Australia’s eastern coast. Flood is now considered to be the biggest risk.

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