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.

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.

But while authorities have been warning residents to stay indoors as Cyclone Alfred approaches, die-hard surfers have been throwing caution to the increasing wind. "This is what we look forward to," said Jeff Weatherall as he waited for a jet ski to pick him up from Kirra beach and carry him into the big waves.

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has revealed that insurers have received more than 22,000 insurance claims from policyholders across southeast

The Australian government said on Monday it would activate financial support for workers who lost income due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which has caused widespread flooding, power outages and property damage across the east coast.

Cyclone Alfred moved west across Queensland, Australia, on March 9, bringing strong winds and up to 15 inches of rain to some communities.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Australia's Queensland state are without power after Alfred, a downgraded tropical cyclone, brought damaging winds and heavy rains, sparking flood warnings. Some 316,

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred has drenched south-east Queensland bringing flash flooding to Brisbane and the Gold Coast.