Waiting for Cyclone Alfred

It’s been a while since I last updated the blog – it's been three months since we moved to the Gold Coast from Melbourne. Things have been pretty good overall, though of course moving interstate comes with its share of challenges. We’ve been busy getting the new house in order, the kids are started at their new schools, and Andy and I are learning the ropes at our new jobs. Thankfully, my parents have been here from Canada the whole time, helping us with everything from painting and gardening to managing the day-to-day chaos of a busy family. Despite the hurdles, overall it's been fantastic settling into our new home (that we own! yay!), soaking up the warm, sunny summer Queensland weather and embracing all the little adventures that come with a fresh start. Things were going pretty well and we were feeling pretty settled into our new lives… until this week.

It’s Thursday toady, but instead of going to work and school we’re currently at home bracing for an unexpected twist: Cyclone Alfred. Yes, you read that right—a Category 2 cyclone is hovering just a few hundred meters off the eastern coast of Australia and heading straight for us. This is the first cyclone in 50 years to hit this region of Queensland (they are usually further north, so most of our friends and neighbours here are not sure what to expect.

While we’re relieved that our house isn’t in a flood-prone zone, I’m definitely anxious about the potential damage from winds that could reach over 120 km/h. I’ve heard it can sound like a jet engine roaring above your head for hours—a nerve-wracking image. Originally, the cyclone was forecast to hit late tonight, but it appears to have stalled in the ocean, so we now expect it to make landfall on Friday afternoon.

For the past few days the cyclone has been whirling away about 1000km from the coast and moving closer, and the weather has been a curious mix of calm blue skies with sudden bursts of wind and rain—but nothing too dramatic. I've never used the phrase "the calm before the storm" quite so literally before! This is a picture I took at Ella's swimming lesson Tuesday afternoon:

With the cyclone delayed to Friday, we've been given a bit more time to get the house ready: we’ve brought in everything from outside and secured our belongings as best as we can. I’m absolutely devastated at the thought of my new, beautiful garden and pool potentially being damaged, but at least we feel secure in our home... I think.

This morning, in a last bid to seize a bit of normalcy, we picked up a few groceries (from a pretty empty Woolworths - stop panic buying people!) before the stores close for the cyclone this afternoon. 

We even managed to check out the waves at the beach—from a safe distance, of course. It sounds a bit crazy, but the morning was surprisingly calm; probably our last chance to spend time outside before we might be confined for a few days. We took in the huge waves and marvelled at how high the water was. 

For reference here are a few pictures of Main Beach, where we were this morning. The first one is an afternoon shot from January, and the second is last Friday night after work.

The kids even had a play at the beachside playground and we grabbed some coffees from a bustling cafe in Main Beach—a small, comforting reminder of our everyday life.

It's hard not to feel anxious as we wait to see what Cyclone Alfred will bring. I really have no idea what to expect, but I’m taking it one step at a time. And for my North American readers—fun fact: a cyclone is the same thing as a hurricane. The only difference is the ocean it originates in. I only just learned that this week!

I’ll try to update the blog as events unfold - as long as we still have power and internet access of course!