Brisbane (Australia), 6 Mar (LaPresse/AP) – The first winds and rain from Tropical Cyclone Alfred began lashing parts of eastern Australia today. Schools were closed, public transport was halted and residents made up for the shortage of sandbags by purchasing topsoil. Alfred is expected to cross the Queensland State coast between the Sunshine Coast region and the Gold Coast city to the south early Saturday, said Matt Collopy, head of the Bureau of Meteorology. Between the two tourist areas lies the state capital, Brisbane, Australia's third most populous city that will host the 2032 Olympic Games. ‘The impact of the wind is already showing up in exposed locations along the coast, with gusts reaching 80-90 km/h,’ Collopy told reporters in Brisbane. Alfred was 240 kilometres east of Brisbane and was moving west with sustained winds near the centre of 95 km/h and gusts up to 130 km/h. It is expected to become the first cyclone to cross the coast near Brisbane since Cyclone Zoe hit the Gold Coast in 1974, causing flooding. More than four million people are in the cyclone's path.