Thousands of residents in eastern Australia were ordered to evacuate as Tropical Cyclone Alfred's heavy rains and powerful winds blast two states ahead of it's expected landfall near Brisbane, the country's third-largest city.

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.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is predicted to hit the mainland north of Brisbane's CBD around midday on Saturday, leading to significant rainfall over a 48-hour period.