Before and after pictures of Australia’s east coast show the true scale of devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. What was once a paradise for surfers, with golden, sunlit sands, became a battleground as waves as high as ‘three or four-storey buildings’ slammed into the coastline.

Gold Coast beaches that were battered by Cyclone Alfred are steadily reopening, and healthy crowds are expected this weekend to try them out.

Eighty per cent of the tourist strip's famous beaches have been carved away by Tropical Cyclone Alfred but the mayor says they will be back to their best for the Easter holidays.