North Queenslanders were rocked by a 4.4-magnitude earthquake overnight.

Residents reported their homes shaking about 9.30pm yesterday in Townsville, with small tremors felt by residents as far north as Cairns and south as Mackay.

The earthquake was recorded 17 kilometres from Townsville at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to Geoscience Australia.

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More than 5000 people reported feeling the tremors.

Some reported feeling like there was an "explosion".

Townsville resident Jethro Gifford told 9news he heard the loud crack of an earthquake from inside his home.

"Sounded like an explosion at the front of the house, a loud bang, followed by a second or two more of rumbling," he said.

"The whole neighbourhood was in front of their houses trying to figure out what was going on."

"Such a strange feeling to suddenly have this weird force racing beneath you, making your home shudder, and then some kind of explosion," Townsville resident Barbara Hannay said.

CCTV footage shows homes trembling as the earthquake hit.

There were no reports of major damage and authorities warned aftershocks were a possibility.

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre confirmed there was no tsunami threat to the Australia's mainland, islands or territories.

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A smaller 3.3-magnitude earthquake was also felt in Muswellbrook, NSW about 10pm.

Only 189 reported feeling tremors from the quake, which had a depth of 1 kilometre.

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Cyclone Alfred has whipped up wild surf and eaten away large parts of the shoreline on Queensland's coast as it edges towards a potential direct hit on Brisbane.

Lifeguards closed dozens of beaches from Agnes Water in Gladstone down to Currumbin on the Gold Coast while the category-two cyclone threatens to make landfall.

Water was seen entering a restaurant on the Sunshine Coast, and on K'Gari residents faced gale force winds and campers were warned to return to the mainland to avoid passing Alfred's force.

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Fears grow for Pumicestone Passage homes, particularly at Golden Beach, as the ocean pushes through a fragile protective sandbar on the northern tip of Bribie Island.

Modelling shows Alfred making a beeline for the country's third-biggest capital, with the south-east bracing for a potential direct hit.

A Bureau of Meteorology tracking map shows a cross through Brisbane as high as a category two.

The storm is on track to make landfall in the early hours of Thursday.

Premier David Crisafulli asked locals to prepare.

"I'm mindful that there is a big challenge there because of how severe the breakthrough has been in recent times and the prospect of those winds with big tides," he said.

"I know this is not a frequent occurrence and there may be Queenslanders who can be forgiven for thinking that this is something that doesn't occur well history shows that is does.

"We're just asking people to just be prepared and heed the warnings, do what you can to get ready, and you need to know that we've done the same."

Sandbagging stations are open at key locations across the south-east, and Queenslanders encouraged to do all they can now to prepare their homes for heavy rainfall.

That includes cleaning gutters, securing loose items and ensuring they have food, water and batteries.

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The Bureau of Meteorology warned Monday could bring wild weather.

"Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to move southwards, roughly parallel to the Queensland coast during Sunday and weaken a little further, before moving more to the southeast during Monday," the bureau said.

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"Alfred is then expected to slow down and is likely to turn westward from Tuesday, moving back towards the southern Queensland coast."

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The state's south-east is forecast to be lashed with 150 millimetres of rain if Alfred makes landfall as expected.

The Gold Coast is also expected to see more than 200 millimetres over the next few days.

Locals in northern NSW are also being warned they could face flooding.

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A biker was spotted speeding through Ranui Park while a family was playing.

Labor has promised it will open 50 more urgent care clinics as part of its $8.5 billion Medicare boost.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today said the Labor government would spend $644 million to open the clinics if elected in the 2025/2026 financial year.

Once the extra 50 are opened, Albanese said it would mean most Australians would be within a 20 minutes of a clinic.

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It's the second healthcare pledge in two weeks, as the Coalition pitch instead on defence and national security.

"Whether your family needs urgent or ongoing health care, under Labor, Medicare will be there for all Australians, in every community," Albanese said.

"Four in five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billed Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, once all Labor's clinics are open."

There will be 14 clinics opened in NSW, 12 in Victoria, 10 in Queensland, six in Western Australia, three in South Australia, three in Tasmania, one in the Northern Territory and one in the ACT.

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The federal government said it decided on locations based on an independent commissioning process.

Labor has already opened 87 Medicare urgent care clinics, Albanese said.

They provide bulk-billed care for urgent but non-life threatening issues with extended hours every day of the week, no appointment necessary.

Labor also promised free doctor visits for most Australians by 2030 as part of its multi-billion dollar Medicare vow.

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Albanese, who turned 62 today, said Labor will spend $8.5 billion across four years to commit to universal bulk-billing, which would make nine out of 10 GP visits free.

The PM estimated this would increase the number of 100 per cent bulk-billed practices to 4800 and save patients $859 million every year by 2030.

This proposal would mark the single biggest investment in Medicare since it was created in 1984.

Currently about 80 per cent of GPs do not accept bulk-billing for generic appointments.

The federal opposition pledged to spend at least $3 billion to buy an extra 28 Joint Strike Fighter jets.

"We're going to invest in defence, and we're going to rebuild the Defence Force, which has been run down under Labor," Shadow Health Minister Andrew Hastie told Sky News' Morning Agenda.

A flotilla of Chinese warships circumnavigating Australia has put defence capabilities in the political crosshairs.

Beijing gave Papua New Guinea notice of their presence, but not Australia.

"We need to demonstrate our own strength and our own resilience in this relationship in order to make it the mutually respectful relationship we want it to be," Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson told Sky News.

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‘My doctor couldn’t even put a number on the fractures.’

The Kiwi actor fears advances in technology will make criminals more money.

The former Marist Brother has already been sentenced three times for preying on children.

The man passed out after being Tasered by police.

Large crowds have overwhelmed a new discount store in Melbourne.

Police were forced to step in when angry customers swamped the Panda Mart warehouse after waiting in line for hours.

The discount retailer has been open for a few days in Cranbourne, in the city's south-east, but hundreds of people are still lining up all the way around the warehouse, trying to get inside.

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The wait got ugly yesterday afternoon when customers ran out of patience.

Groups of people were filmed trying to force their way into the store, some pushing against the glass doors and scrambling past staff to get inside.

As the crowd reached about 1000, police were called in to keep the peace.

Management were left with no option but to shut the doors and reopen this morning with security staff.

"I thought the doors were going to fall through, you know. It was crazy," staff member Jordan Alkemade said.

"But now with security and especially when we had police here yesterday, it's all good, it's all safe."

Panda Mart opened its first store in South Africa more than a decade ago.

They have locations in South America, the US and New Zealand.

They arrived on Australian shores with a discounted catalogue of more than 28,000 homeware products, many of them reportedly sourced from China's wholesale markets.

One shopper said it was like cheap internet shop Tumu "in real life", with social media users on TikTok also getting excited about the shop.

1400 monarch butterflies were released at the Auckland Botanic Gardens for conservation.