Hundreds of people started evacuating resort islands off Australia's popular east coast today as officials braced for a powerful cyclone packing winds of up to 168 kilometres an hour. <br/><br/>About 300 people were being ferried from the Great Barrier Reef islands, north of Brisbane, with Tropical Cyclone Ului about 1,200 kilometres offshore and likely to make landfall on Saturday or Sunday. Cyclone Ului, which has already brought strong winds and rough seas to the Queensland coast, was moving slowly but heading towards the mainland and was likely to hit between the towns of Bowen and Gladstone. <br/><br/>A spokesman for the Bureau of Meteorology said conditions would worsen as the cyclone, currently at the second highest level of category four, approached. Residents along the Queensland coast have been urged to prepare for the cyclone by stocking up on non-perishable foods, water and medication. The cyclone follows heavy rains and flooding in Queensland.<br/>