Sandbags stack high around homes, like a game of Tetris, as millions of people brace for the onslaught of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Dave and Charmaine Harris' house is fortressed front and back with bright yellow bags while everything inside their ground floor has been raised.
It's not the first time the pair have experienced inundation, so they are prepared - plastic containers to store valuables, relocating cars to higher ground and emptying water tanks ahead of Alfred's arrival.
But the pair are concerned amid forecasts of 130km/h wind gusts and heavy rainfall.
“We’re hoping that it is not going to be as bad as they’re predicting,” Mr Harris told AAP.
Ms Harris has lived in Sandgate her whole life and experienced multiple flood events since 2011 so she is aware that a storm surge can be disastrous.
“We’re nervous about what damage is going to be caused but no one knows," she said.
Should the winds get too strong and floodwaters reach too high, the pair will make the call to leave.
The Harris' are among millions facing a nervous wait as Alfred creeps closer to Australia's east coast.
The category two system is forecast to lash coastal islands on Friday before downgrading to a category one when it makes landfall between Noosa and Coolangatta early Saturday.
Its effects will be felt from Double Island Point in Queensland to Grafton in NSW.
Thousands of households are already facing blackouts as daily rainfall totals are predicted to dump about 400mm while strong winds lash coastal cities, bringing surging waves as high as 12m.
"As the system crosses, sea levels may be 0.5 to 1m above the normal highest tide," weather bureau meteorologist Matt Collopy said.
Thousands of people in NSW's Northern Rivers have spent the first night out of home after authorities ordered them to evacuate ahead of Alfred's arrival.
More than 2000 NSW SES volunteers are preparing and assisting communities amid concerns rain would fall for up to five days after Alfred lands, risking towns being cut off.
"We cannot guarantee a boat for every house in the flood evacuation zone," NSW Premier Chris Minns said.
More than 1000 schools across the impacted region are shut, along with public transport, elective surgeries and non-critical government services.
Major airports in Brisbane and the Gold Coast are also shut with flights cancelled across several regional airfields.
