Two young men on holiday from Tasmania have spoken about their disappointment after Cyclone Alfred washed away the beach at Surfers Paradise.
Speaking on live national television, Reece and James told Sunrise that they had come to the Gold Coast from Hobart for some “better weather”.
Instead, they found themselves stuck in the middle of a cyclone.
“We’ve come here from Tassie for some better weather and look at this. Like come on,” James laughed.
“It’s incredible. How do you fix a beach after something like this? It’s just crazy.”
The pair said they are now spending their holiday in their hotel room playing cards and drinking games.
Sunrise presenter Matt ‘Shirvo’ Shirvington praised the Tasmanians’ outlook.
“You have to love the Aussie attitude, don’t you? Drinking games sounds pretty nice about now, doesn’t it,” he said.
Millions of people across south-east Queensland and northern NSW are on high alert, with the category two cyclone now expected to make landfall on Saturday morning.
Authorities are warning of intense rainfall, dangerous winds and the potential for flash flooding.
Cyclone Alfred slowed to 7km/h on Wednesday night and remained slow throughout Thursday.
As of midday Friday, the system was travelling west to south-west at 8km/h, around 150km from Brisbane and 125km from the Gold Coast, with wind gusts of around 140/kmh near the centre of the storm.
Most flights between Tasmania and Queensland have been cancelled today, following a string of cancellations yesterday.
