Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred has eroded a significant stretch of Gold Coast beaches, leaving escarpments of roughly two meters while sparking calls for major repair efforts.

Over the weekend, residents of Brisbane, Australia, were bracing for the impact of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The storm was downgraded to a tropical low, and made landfall on the mainland on Saturday. It was the first storm of its kind in the area in 51 years.

Residents are stacking sandbags to protect low-lying properties ahead of a tropical cyclone that is forecast to become the first in 51 years to hit the Australian east coast near Brisbane, the nation’s third-most populous city.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaching, the Gold Coast's decades-old hidden rock wall acts as the city's line of defence against a surging ocean, according to an engineering expert.For about 50 years, the Queensland government has had a policy that meant seawalls must be constructed along the "A-Line".

Cyclone Alfred - which has been downgraded from a cyclone to a tropical low - has caused flooding, damage to buildings and left thousands without power across the eastern coast of Australia. Millions of people across Queensland and north New South Wales have been affected.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred had been expected to become on Saturday the first cyclone to cross the east Australian coast near the Queensland state capital since 1974. But it weakened early Saturday to a tropical low,