Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate arrives in Australia after Las Vegas trip as ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred nears

The Gold Coast’s colourful leader has touched back down in Australia, after getting ‘stuck’ in the US as his city braced for ex-Cyclone Alfred.

Flamboyant Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate is back on Aussie shores after his US jaunt, but he is still a long way from his rainswept home.

The long-time council leader found himself blocked from returning to the beach city as ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred raged off the southern Queensland coast.

Mr Tate was spotted at Melbourne Airport on Saturday morning with his wife Ruth, having returned to Australia on a flight from Los Angeles.

The Gold Coast leader had originally visited Las Vegas for the recent NRL bonanza and then holidayed in LA.

Gold Coast Airport remained shut on Saturday, but management said in an update at 11am that they hoped to resume operations on Sunday.

“The Gold Coast Airport team is on-site performing safety inspections and operational checks of the aerodrome and terminal precinct,” the airport posted to social media.

Mayor Tom Tate arrives in Melbourne on Saturday morning after his Las Vegas jaunt. Picture: NewsWire/ Nadir Kinani

Mr Tate is expected to fly back home to the Gold Coast on Sunday morning. Picture: NewsWire/ Nadir Kinani

“If safety and weather conditions allow, we hope to be able to open tomorrow.”

It is understood Mr Tate will fly to Sydney on Saturday afternoon and stay at a hotel in Mascot, then catch an early morning flight from Sydney into the Gold Coast on Sunday.

He would then take control of council operations and appear at a press conference at 2pm at the city’s disaster centre.

The Gold Coast Airport had been shut since Wednesday.

Mr Tate’s absence while the city stared down Alfred sparked some criticism, but Acting Mayor Donna Gates has defended her colleague, saying he had been kept across the cyclone’s movements.

“The mayor has made several attempts to get home but unfortunately all those flights have been cancelled,” she said.

“He is as up-to-date as I am on all cyclone developments.

“I have personally spoken to him several times and sent him every situation report as they come through multiple times daily.”

Mr Tate has been on personal leave since February 21, where he attended the NRL Magic Round in Las Vegas as a guest of Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys.

Ruth and Tom Tate visited Las Vegas for the NRL bash. Picture: Supplied

Prior to the cyclone, Mr Tate had been scheduled to return from leave on Thursday, and has been attempting to return from the United States since Sunday.

However the council source stressed all tickets had been paid for personally by Mr Tate, and were not funded by ratepayers.

A booked flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane on Saturday night was cancelled on Friday due to ex-TC Alfred’s expected landfall on Saturday morning.

As it stands, Brisbane Airport has also suspended both incoming and outgoing flights until further notice.

The ex-tropical cyclone still has not quite reached the mainland by early Saturday afternoon, but the wild conditions have knocked out power for more than 300,000 customers across southeast Queensland and northern NSW.

The fierce winds were enough to tear roofs from buildings at Labrador on the Gold Coast. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Fallen trees were left in the wake of now ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, including this one blocking lanes of the M1 near Pimpama. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

The Gold Coast has been one of the areas hit hardest by the storm, with widespread damage and more than 100,000 homes without power.

As Alfred lingers off the coast, airlines are also beginning to shift planes back to Brisbane Airport, which could also reopen on Sunday.

“This will take some time as airlines reposition aircraft from around the country and staff are stood up,” the airport said in a statement on Saturday.