Marcia produces worst storm since '48

Central Queensland locals are continuing to be buffeted by the worst cyclone the region has seen since 1948.

Long-time Capricorn Coast residents have rated Cyclone Marcia the biggest storm in 67 years while many others remain hopeful it will weaken as it tracks further south.

Emu Park retiree Terry Molloy and his wife have been holed up in their beachfront home, south of Yeppoon, all of Friday as the wild weather batters the coast.

Retiree Mr Molloy, in his 80s, says its the worst storm he's seen since he was a teenager.

"We had (Cyclone) Oswald here a few years ago, he was alright - pretty blowy - but this is more blowy than Oswald was," he told AAP.

Mr Molloy said the king tide, now receding, had completely covered the beach and the sea was "wild".

Suzy Watson, on Kinka Beach, said the noise of the wind gusts had been hard to believe.

"You know how people say it sounds like a freight train? This sounds like 100 freight trains," Ms Watson told AAP.

"My husband and I went out on the veranda - it blew us off our feet.

"We had to hang onto the railing. But it's just amazing."

Gladstone Mayor Gail Sellers, a self-confessed "Gladstone girl", also rated Marcia the biggest major storm seen in the area since 1948.

The cyclone had made landfall as a category five system but has since been downgraded to a category four.

Cr Sellers said she hoped by the time it made it to her territory, around 5pm (AEST), it would have weakened further.

Bundaberg is also expecting the system to move through on Friday evening.

But Mayor Mal Forman said you wouldn't know it, with the 94,000-strong region's sunny skies at noon.

He urged locals not to lapse into complacency given the rain had stopped and conditions eased.

"They should continue to be alert, not alarmed," he said.

In Rockhampton, mayor Margaret Strelow urged residents to take cover in the smallest room in their house.

"A category three can still damage buildings," Ms Strelow told AAP.

"We don't have a cyclone shelter. Unlike Yeppoon, because we're not right on the coast, it's not a cyclone-prone area."