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.

Former Tropical Cyclone Alfred continued to dump heavy rain across large parts of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) while moving inland, inundating roads and leaving tens of thousands of households without power as hundreds of schools remained shut, local media reported Monday.

Governments are rushing to reopen schools and public transport, despite continued flooding in many areas, road closures, fallen live power lines and damaged homes.

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 slow-moving tropical storm crossed islands off Australia’s heavily populated eastern coast late Friday, lashing coastal suburbs with destructive winds and dumping heavy rain across the region.

Cyclone Alfred weakened to a tropical storm on Saturday after crossing islands off Australia’s eastern coast. Flood is now considered to be the biggest risk.

Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred has officially reached the mainland in Queensland's south-east bringing with it intense winds and fears of flooding.