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.

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.

A rare tropical cyclone weakened to a tropical low weather system on Saturday as it approached Brisbane, the country's third most populous city. Before being downgraded, Cyclone Alfred had been expected to become the first cyclone to cross the east Australian coast since 1974.