Australia's most destructive cyclones
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is lingering off the coast of Queensland, bringing hazardous surf and gale-force winds to coastal communities.
Coastal communities in northern Australia are no stranger to cyclones and tropical lows that bring damaging winds, widespread rainfall and dangerous flooding.
Click through for some of Australia's most destructive tropical cyclones.
Cyclone Yasi, 2011
Cyclone Yasi made landfall as a category 5 system near Mission Beach, south of Cairns in the early hours of February 3, 2011, bringing winds up to 285km/h.
The worst impact was in the towns of Tully, Cardwell, Innisfail, Ingham and Mission Beach but missed the major centres of Townsville and Cairns.
Only one person died due to an unprecedented evacuation effort in the days before the cyclone.
Thousands of northern Queenslanders were evacuated to official evacuation centres or left the area completely, with flights out of the region fully booked.
The local hospital's 300 patients were evacuated to Brisbane and other regional hospitals by the the Australian Defence Force, Royal Flying Doctor Service and other means of transportation.
Cyclone Larry, 2006
Cyclone Larry crossed the Queensland coast near Innisfail on the morning of March 20, 2006 as a category 5 system.
No lives were lost, however about 10,000 homes were damaged or destroyed and heavy rain isolated several towns in the state's north-west for days.
The storm was devastating to the region's banana industry, which supplied about 80 per cent of the nation's banana crop at the time.
About 200,000 tonnes of fruit was lost, according to the Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub.
The Insurance Council of Australia estimated the 2006 damage at $540 million.
Pictured: Lawrence Collega in a destroyed banana plantation that he leased to another grower near Innisfail.
Cyclone Monica, 2006
Cyclone Monica made two landfalls, first as a category 3 system on the far north Queensland coast on April 19, 2006 and then, five days later as a category 5 storm on the Northern Territory near Maningrida.
The Maningrida community suffered substantial damage as the cyclone passed just to the north of the township, with several houses damaged by fallen trees and debris.
Monica was small in size but intense, the highest intensity of any cyclone in the Australian region, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Pictured: Jimmy and Winnie Mason stand outside the wreckage of their home.
Monica quickly weakened after landfall, passing over northern parts of Kakadu National Park near Jabiru at category 2 intensity and then weakening below tropical cyclone intensity just 12 hours after landfall.
The local townships of Lockhart River and Coen were spared but there was widespread tree damage and moderate damage to infrastructure along the Arnhem Land coast, extending as far west as the township of Jabiru.
Pictured: Kevin Rennie clambered through what was left of his backyard.
Cyclone Justin, 1997
Cyclone Justin crossed the Queensland coast as a category 2 cyclone north-west of Cairns on March 22, 1997.
Justin was large and long-lived due to being the result of two lows merging in the Coral Sea.
Justin was reportedly responsible for an estimated loss of $150 million to the agricultural industry alone, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Pictured: Heavy machinery brought in to build a sand wall to protect the Mackay Surf Club from a battering as seas close in.
Heavy rain, large seas and gale- to storm-force winds caused widespread damage in the region between Cairns and Townsville.
One person was killed in a landslide at Paluma, near Townsville; another person died from electrocution due to a fallen power line at Innisfail, 70 kilometres south-south-east of Cairns, according to the Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub.
Earlier, 30 people were killed in Papua New Guinea by the same system.
Pictured: Local Peter Grandshaw and his son Mathew wade through a section of the Bruce Highway north of Townsville which is cut by the swollen Bohle River after Cyclone Justin.
Cyclone Winifred, 1986
Cyclone Winifred hit Cowley Beach, south of Innisfail in Queensland as a category 3 cyclone with recorded wind gusts up to 175km/h on February 1, 1986.
According to the Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub, the damage extended from north of Cairns to Cardwell and inland on a narrow front to Ravenshoe.
Three deaths were attributed to Winifred. One during the storm, one as a result of severe injuries sustained during the storm and one as a result of associated flooding.
There was significant flooding between Babinda and Tully due to rainfall totals in some areas of more than 300mm.
The Insurance Council of Australia estimated the 1986 damage at $40 million.
Pictured: The Johnstone River broke its banks and flooded much of Innisfail on February 3.
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