New Delhi, March 6 -- Cyclone Alfred, a rare tropical cyclone accompanied by winds and rains, lashed parts of eastern Australia on Thursday. Due to the cyclone, schools have been closed and public transport has been stopped.

It is expected that Cyclone Alfred will cross the Queensland state coast between the Sunshine Coast region and the city of Gold Coast to the south early Saturday, according to a report by PTI citing Bureau of Meteorology manager Matt Collopy.

"The wind impacts, we're already seeing those start to develop on the exposed locations along our coast with gusts reaching 80-to-90 kph (50-to-56 mph). We are expecting those to continue to develop," Collopy added.

Alfred will be the first cyclone to cross the coast near Bris...