Alfie arrived on Straddie. What happened next saved Brisbane from the worst

Andy and Linda Nussey have owned a holiday home on North Stradbroke Island for the past 23 years. They spend their Christmas holidays on the island, taking family and friends with them, and hope one day to retire there.

Their beloved island getaway now arguably has another reason for their affection: it helped save Brisbane from a cyclone. As Alfred slammed into Stradbroke and other islands as a category 1 storm on Friday night, it weakened, becoming a tropical low.

North Stradbroke Island is the largest of the islands in Moreton Bay and has fine surfing beaches.

Four main islands sit just off Brisbane’s bayside: North and South Stradbroke (Minjerribah), which boast some of the best beach breaks in the Sunshine State; Moreton Island (Mulgumpin), where day trippers and holidaymakers feed dolphins and snorkel in crystal-clear waters off Tangalooma; and Bribie Island (Yarun), a haven for golfing enthusiasts and retirees.

“There’s a very special place called Keyholes,” Andy says, speaking about the group of clear freshwater lakes on North Stradbroke.

“The only way to get to it is a four-wheel-drive on the main beach. There’s nowhere to turn up the dunes, so only locals really go there.

“Years ago, we went with my mate and his three boys. Their family are jet-setters, they fly all over the world. We have a canoe and went out to set up a camp, went out on the lake and spent the whole afternoon there.

“At the end of the day, we drove back and my mate’s oldest son said it was ‘the best day of my life’.

Dr Andy Nussey at Cylinder Beach on Stradbroke Island.

“We’ve been going to Straddie since I was a kid. It’s so close to Brisbane and you can get yourself to the most beautiful beaches and peaceful bushland – it’s a very special little place.”

But its beauty was suddenly darkened in Alfred’s path.

Sunshine Coast local Geeta Saini arrived last Sunday on one of three yearly trips with the intent to remain for 10 days.

Saini left after just two when Alfred loomed and the sea surged.

“The swell was big, so the surfers were out getting the big waves and there were a few guys who were taking jet-skis over on the barge,” Saini said.

“It was windy, not really raining as such, but we were hearing the barges were going to be stopped. You had to make a decision – stay or go.

“They [the locals] were pretty philosophical – ‘we’ll see what happens’. We’ve been through big storms before, and at that stage it was just getting pretty windy.”

Non-Brisbanites are sometimes surprised that, unlike Sydney, Brisbane’s coastline does not feature surf swell. This is because the bay islands shelter it, and the surfing is instead found on the eastern shores of the islands.

But it’s precisely this that spared Brisbane from the full force of Alfred’s anticipated destructive winds.

As Alfred slammed into the larger islands of North Stradbroke, Moreton and Bribie as a category 1 storm, it weakened and became a tropical low.

“Tropical cyclones are powered by warm water, which supplies moisture and energy via evaporation. Moving near land interrupts this supply of moisture and energy and typically weakens them,” a Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said.

“It is therefore harder for a tropical cyclone to maintain its intensity if it has to cross islands to reach the mainland.

“A fast-moving system might maintain its intensity long enough to cross the mainland coast, but in this case, Alfred slowed down once again this morning, which meant it weakened to a tropical low just offshore.”

Tropical Cyclone Alfred sat in place off Bribie Island for over 12 hours throughout most of Saturday – without moving. As many a radio host quipped, the virtues of the island were not lost on Alf.

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Tourism is an extensive part of the islands’ economies.

Moreton Island’s Tangalooma Resort, which has 200 accommodation rooms, suffered mass cancellations. Three cruises were also cancelled, and services including snorkelling near shipwrecks and dolphin-feeding are not expected to resume until Tuesday at the earliest.

Bernie O’Keefe, the resort’s head of sales and marketing, estimated the financial impact could be in the millions, but his primary focus remained the safety of the almost 300 staff still on the island as well as a small number of visitors who were unable to leave.

The Tangalooma Wrecks off Moreton Island are a popular snorkelling spot.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

“The eye of the cyclone went directly over the resort, so we were right in the firing line with all the intensity going into it. We’ve never been through anything like this in 50 years,” O’Keefe said.

“We woke up [Saturday] morning and survived with very little damage at all. On the rest of Moreton Island, the beaches are all washed away – getting around the island is a real challenge at the moment.

“As the storm got closer on Friday, it was the ferocity of the winds. Once the eye went through, it tended to settle down. But then of course a day later, when we thought we were out of the woods, the rain has been relentless.”

Peter Mitchell, Redland City division 2 councillor for Cleveland and North Stradbroke Island, said Saturday night’s winds were “intense, rattling windows and dropping larger trees”. He said island residents reported the storm sounded like a jet engine roaring.

Significant shoreline erosion occurred at North Stradbroke’s Main Beach and Amity Point.

“A proper plan and sustained investment by three levels of government and business must occur as a matter of urgency looking forward,” Mitchell said.

“In that way we will support the safety and liveability of the residents of the island, but also secure the business and tourism resilience.

“My focus today, however, is on the island bush communities and the township residents. A natural disaster is still playing out in real time today.”