A New Zealander in Queensland has described having no power and a lack of essentials at supermarkets as he waited for Cyclone Alfred to make landfall.

Mike Hickson told the Herald  "huge crowds" gathered at Coles supermarket to gather essential items before the full impact of the storm hit. He said there was limited "water, bread and cooked food" at the store.

Strong winds have been building all day as heavy rain struck intermittently in Coolangatta, he said.

Coolangatta is the Gold Coast's southernmost suburb and borders New South Wales.

Hickson arrived in Australia for a now-cancelled wedding and said there has been "patchy" internet and no power since 9pm last night.

"Managed to get supplies from Coles this morning before they closed," he said.

New Zealander Lauren Cantwell has described "unreal" scenes in Queensland as residents await the full impact of Cyclone Alfred. 

The former Christchurch resident now lives in Victoria Point, a coastal suburb that overlooks Moreton Bay south-east of Brisbane. 

Victoria Point is part of Redland City, where thousands have suffered power outages. 

"Scenes are unreal in our suburb here and the wind has picked up," Cantwell told the Herald. 

 "We have large palm trees in our yard, which are waterlogged. I’m worried [they] will come down in this cyclone. 

"Houses in our suburb have been door-knocked by police and SES and people are being told to leave."

The City of Gold Coast has issued an emergency warning urging residents in coastal areas to "take shelter now".

The warning is for areas from Broadbeach to Jacobs Well and South Stradbroke Island.

"TC Alfred impacts expected this afternoon and overnight," the warning said.

"Heavy rain and flooding continue after winds ease."

ABC has reported emergency services are searching for a man who has been washed into floodwaters in northern NSW.

Emergency services responded to reports that a four-wheel drive had been washed off a bridge into fast-running water whilst driving across Wild Cattle Creek Bridge - approximately 23km north-east of Dorrigo - about 2.30pm local time.

The man was able to exit the vehicle and secure himself to a tree branch approximately 30m from the river bank, where police officers were able to talk with him, ABC reported.

Shortly after 3pm, the man was swept from the tree and was seen going beneath the water where he has not been sighted since.