Residents who prepared for the cyclone now have little to do but wait and see how their efforts will pay off against the rising water.

Alfred is forecast to make landfall near Brisbane, the capital of Queensland and Australia’s third largest city.

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.