Queensland, northern NSW floods; Brisbane, Lockyer Valley, Ipswich inundated with water

Eighty per cent of the beach on the Gold Coast is gone, and anyone who takes a swim in the murky ocean risks a fine of $16,000, as the mop-up ramps up in earnest.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate said ex-tropical cyclone Alfred had already washed most of the city’s beaches into the ocean, but that a…