Mass closures announced—what’s shutting down as Cyclone Alfred moves in?
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Severe weather events can disrupt daily life in ways that few anticipate, forcing communities to adapt quickly to changing conditions.
As a powerful cyclone moves towards the coast, authorities are making critical decisions to ensure public safety.
Schools, businesses, transport, and major events are all being impacted—but what exactly is shutting down, and what remains open?
Tropical Cyclone Alfred was set to make landfall between Maroochydore and Coolangatta on 7 March morning, bringing dangerous weather conditions to south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Authorities ordered closures across schools, transport networks, and businesses as residents prepared for the severe storm.
School closures in Queensland and NSW
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli announced that schools in south-east Queensland would shut on 6 and 7.
By 3:30 pm on 5 March, 663 state schools, 120 independent schools, and 180 Catholic schools had closed.
In northern NSW, 122 public schools were declared non-operational, along with five independent schools, including the Small School in Murwillumbah and Byron Community Primary School.
Airports and travel disruptions
Flights were cancelled across multiple airports in the cyclone’s projected path.
Gold Coast Airport shut at 4:00 pm on 5 March, while Jetstar, Qantas, and Virgin Australia cancelled all flights in and out of Ballina Airport.
Coffs Harbour Airport was expected to suspend flights from midnight on 5 March.
Brisbane and Sunshine Coast airports remained operational, though travellers were advised to check for schedule changes.
Transport for NSW urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel through affected areas, with NSW TrainLink north coast services terminating at Taree until at least midnight on 7 March.
Replacement buses were not guaranteed beyond Taree, with services running to Casino only if conditions allowed.
Public transport and council services
Brisbane City Council suspended all CityCat and ferry services, while bus operations ceased after 5 March's final scheduled service.
Rubbish collection in Brisbane was limited to red bins on 5 March and halted entirely from 6 March, including kerbside large waste pickup.
Council-run facilities such as libraries, community halls, and golf courses were set to close from 6 March, with the State Library shutting at 5:00 pm on 5 March.
Brisbane City Council also announced plans to shelter the city’s homeless population during the cyclone.
Events postponed or cancelled
Several sporting, music, and entertainment events were affected by the impending storm.
The AFL season openers in Queensland, including Brisbane’s match against Geelong at the Gabba and Gold Coast’s game against Essendon at People First Stadium, were postponed.
The AFL had yet to determine new dates for the games.
The 7 March night NRL clash between the Dolphins and South Sydney Rabbitohs, originally set for Brisbane, was moved to Sydney’s CommBank Stadium.
Green Day cancelled their Saviors concert in Brisbane, stating: ‘We know how excited fans were for the concert and we share your disappointment.’
Bluey’s World, the immersive experience based on the popular children’s show, was set to close from 6 March.
What remained open
Queensland hospitals were expected to stay open 24/7 for emergency care, with no NSW health services reported closed.
Coles planned to keep stores open where safe, ensuring essentials like canned goods, milk, bread, meat, baby formula, and toilet paper remained stocked.
A spokesperson said: ‘We have plenty of stock in our supply chain…we just ask that customers shop as they normally would and be patient with our hard-working team members as they keep our shelves stocked.’
Woolworths was contacted for comment.
Fourteen evacuation centres opened in northern NSW on 5 March evening, including locations in Murwillumbah, Uki, and Mullumbimby.
Brisbane City Council was expected to update its emergency dashboard with further details on evacuation centres.
In a previous story, reckless thrill-seekers sparked outrage as they ignored safety warnings during Cyclone Alfred.
Despite the dangerous conditions, some individuals took unnecessary risks, putting themselves and emergency responders in danger.
Read more about the shocking incidents and public reaction here.
With so many disruptions across schools, transport, and major events, how has Tropical Cyclone Alfred affected your plans? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
As a powerful cyclone moves towards the coast, authorities are making critical decisions to ensure public safety.
Schools, businesses, transport, and major events are all being impacted—but what exactly is shutting down, and what remains open?
Tropical Cyclone Alfred was set to make landfall between Maroochydore and Coolangatta on 7 March morning, bringing dangerous weather conditions to south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Authorities ordered closures across schools, transport networks, and businesses as residents prepared for the severe storm.
School closures in Queensland and NSW
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli announced that schools in south-east Queensland would shut on 6 and 7.
By 3:30 pm on 5 March, 663 state schools, 120 independent schools, and 180 Catholic schools had closed.
In northern NSW, 122 public schools were declared non-operational, along with five independent schools, including the Small School in Murwillumbah and Byron Community Primary School.
Airports and travel disruptions
Flights were cancelled across multiple airports in the cyclone’s projected path.
Gold Coast Airport shut at 4:00 pm on 5 March, while Jetstar, Qantas, and Virgin Australia cancelled all flights in and out of Ballina Airport.
Coffs Harbour Airport was expected to suspend flights from midnight on 5 March.
Brisbane and Sunshine Coast airports remained operational, though travellers were advised to check for schedule changes.
Transport for NSW urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel through affected areas, with NSW TrainLink north coast services terminating at Taree until at least midnight on 7 March.
Replacement buses were not guaranteed beyond Taree, with services running to Casino only if conditions allowed.
Public transport and council services
Brisbane City Council suspended all CityCat and ferry services, while bus operations ceased after 5 March's final scheduled service.
Rubbish collection in Brisbane was limited to red bins on 5 March and halted entirely from 6 March, including kerbside large waste pickup.
Council-run facilities such as libraries, community halls, and golf courses were set to close from 6 March, with the State Library shutting at 5:00 pm on 5 March.
Brisbane City Council also announced plans to shelter the city’s homeless population during the cyclone.
Events postponed or cancelled
Several sporting, music, and entertainment events were affected by the impending storm.
The AFL season openers in Queensland, including Brisbane’s match against Geelong at the Gabba and Gold Coast’s game against Essendon at People First Stadium, were postponed.
The AFL had yet to determine new dates for the games.
The 7 March night NRL clash between the Dolphins and South Sydney Rabbitohs, originally set for Brisbane, was moved to Sydney’s CommBank Stadium.
Green Day cancelled their Saviors concert in Brisbane, stating: ‘We know how excited fans were for the concert and we share your disappointment.’
Bluey’s World, the immersive experience based on the popular children’s show, was set to close from 6 March.
What remained open
Queensland hospitals were expected to stay open 24/7 for emergency care, with no NSW health services reported closed.
Coles planned to keep stores open where safe, ensuring essentials like canned goods, milk, bread, meat, baby formula, and toilet paper remained stocked.
A spokesperson said: ‘We have plenty of stock in our supply chain…we just ask that customers shop as they normally would and be patient with our hard-working team members as they keep our shelves stocked.’
Woolworths was contacted for comment.
Fourteen evacuation centres opened in northern NSW on 5 March evening, including locations in Murwillumbah, Uki, and Mullumbimby.
Brisbane City Council was expected to update its emergency dashboard with further details on evacuation centres.
In a previous story, reckless thrill-seekers sparked outrage as they ignored safety warnings during Cyclone Alfred.
Despite the dangerous conditions, some individuals took unnecessary risks, putting themselves and emergency responders in danger.
Read more about the shocking incidents and public reaction here.
With so many disruptions across schools, transport, and major events, how has Tropical Cyclone Alfred affected your plans? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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