Cyclone Alfred stalled off Australia's east coast on Thursday delaying landfall as officials shut airports, schools and public transport and residents stockpiled supplies and sandbagged homes against floodwaters expected when the category-two storm hits.

Millions of residents along Australia’s eastern coast are preparing for the impact of the most southerly cyclone to threaten the region in more than five decades.

The outer fringe of a tropical cyclone has started to hit eastern Australia, bringing heavy rains and record-breaking waves to a heavily populated region rarely hit by typhoons.