Strong winds and large surf moves up the east coast of Australia. A number of Gale and Strong Wind Warnings were issued for parts of the New South Wales and Queensland coasts yesterday as offshore lows directed gusty south/southeasterly winds towards the mainland. A pair of embedded lows developed within the final trough which lashed eastern Australia during the week. Since reaching the Pacific Ocean, these lows have deepened and interacted with a weak ridge to steer strong winds up the coast. Cape Moreton Lighthouse managed to clock maximum wind gusts of 96 km/h, while just over the border Cape Byron recorded gusts of 93 km/h. A variety of locations cracked the 80 km/h mark with Evans Head seeing 82 km/h gusts. Generally speaking, winds were consistently stronger just offshore with Frederick Reef experiencing gusts up to 89 km/h and 87 km/h gusts at Cato Island. Adding to the chaos, large and messy surf is keeping beaches generally empty today. South facing beaches are picking up churning 6-8 foot surf across much of the New South Wales coast, with slightly better conditions the further north you travel. Queensland beaches aren't quite seeing the same size as New South Wales, however point breaks which offer some protection from the southerly component winds are definitely the pick for today. As the weekend progresses, the swell will ease for much of the east coast, however so will the winds. Conditions should clean up significantly leading into the working week allowing for some great waves.