Cyclone Alfred stalled off Australia’s east coast on Thursday as officials shut airports, schools and public transport while residents stockpiled supplies and sandbagged homes against flooding expected when the category-two storm hits.

Australia braced for a rare east coast tropical cyclone that is swirling towards Brisbane, its third-most populous city, with authorities urging residents in flood-prone suburbs to evacuate soon.

Cyclone Alfred stalled off Australia's east coast on Thursday as officials shut airports, schools and public transport.

Millions of residents along Australia’s eastern coast are preparing for the impact of the most southerly cyclone to threaten the region in more than five decades.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan discusses Tropical Cyclone Alfred and how the residents of Queensland and northern New South Wales are “anxious” about its arrival.