North Queenslanders are bracing for a cyclone that's tipped to bring dangerous storm tides as it barrels towards the coast.
People are filling sandbags and stocking up on supermarket supplies in preparation for Cyclone Dylan, which is expected to make landfall early tomorrow morning.
It will cross the coast, near Ayr, just hours before a king tide is forecast to hit.
Residents between Lucinda and St Lawrence are on flood alert, with low-lying areas close to the shoreline expected to be inundated.
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman says while flooding is a "big threat", north Queenslanders have faced far worse disasters.
The weather bureau says the category one cyclone was about 205km northeast of Townsville and 260km north of Proserpine at 4pm (AEST).
It's moving at 12km/h in a southwesterly direction towards the coast and may bring dangerous storm tides, heavy rain, flash flooding and storm gusts of up to 120km/h.