Chris Barton is leaving nothing to chance as he bunkers down ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred's arrival.
Iron sheets are tied to his driveway gate while plastic tarps drape his southeast Queensland residence, bolstered by more than 30 handmade sandbags.
"The whole idea is to try and stop the surge coming through the property," Mr Barton told AAP outside his Cleveland Point home.
"We've got a resilient old house but it is just the height of the water we're worried about."
Alfred is set to make landfall late on Thursday or early Friday between Queensland's Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast as a category two system.
The first cyclone to impact Queensland's southeast in more than 50 years is set to bring heavy rain, destructive winds, flash flooding and storm surges.
Mr Barton has seen his share of severe weather during his 13 years in the area, with his home exposed to water on both sides of the property.
However, he is concerned about the "unknown" element of Alfred as it gradually approaches the coast, sending the southeast into lockdown.
Mr Barton's home was among hundreds of properties in the area that were doorknocked by police in fluoro yellow raincoats on Wednesday, warning of the imminent cyclone risk.
Mr Barton said even if he got the call to evacuate he would likely ride out the storm from home.
"We'll stay here and see how it goes unless the roof gets ripped off," he said.
Police told local residents more than a metre of water could inundate properties during the forecast storm surge.
Officers told AAP most locals just shrugged when told the concerning news.
Some have chosen to flee their homes with about 70 evacuations from South Stradbroke Island, where the eye of the cyclone is set to loom early on Friday.
About 20,000 properties in the Brisbane area alone are expected to be impacted by flooding, with the cyclone's arrival set to coincide with a high tide on Friday morning.
Residents in high-risk areas have been urged to stay with family or friends otherwise head to evacuation centres that opened up across the southeast on Wednesday.
The rest have been told to stay home from Thursday as millions brace for the first cyclone to hit the state's southeast since 1974.
"This is a very rare event for southeast Queensland ... but I am asking Queenslanders to take it seriously," Premier David Crisafulli, flanked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, said on Wednesday.
Queensland's southeast and northern NSW have begun to shut down as authorities bolster the area, including Australian Defence Force assistance activated by the federal government.
The cyclone's impact is set to be felt interstate, with the warning zone spanning Double Island Point, Queensland to Grafton, NSW.
Hundreds of schools from the Sunshine Coast to northern NSW will close from Thursday with southeast public transport coming to a standstill.
Flood releases are likely at Queensland's Somerset and Wivenhoe dams in the coming days while travel has also been affected.
Qantas on Wednesday cancelled a number of flights with Carnival Luminosa's three-day cruise called off and Greyhound bus services from Brisbane axed.
The Gold Coast airport closed with the region expecting 800mm of rain.
"This looks like the most significant event in our city in terms of destructive winds and heavy rain that we've seen since 1954," Acting Gold Coast Mayor Donna Gates said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns urged Northern Rivers residents to prepare, just three years after flooding devastated the region, saying Thursday was the "day to act".
