Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has cautioned that the fallout from a vicious tropical storm over the weekend was "far from over."

Rapid creek rises and dangerous flash-flooding is impacting parts of South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

Australia braced for a rare east coast tropical cyclone that is swirling towards Brisbane, its third-most populous city, with authorities urging residents in flood-prone suburbs to evacuate soon.

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.