Shark 'washes up on Australian beach' during Cyclone Marcia, local media reports

The shark apparently washed up at Lennox Head near Ballina in New South Wales

The beach at Lennox Head, in New South Wales (Creative Commons / Wikimedia Commons)

A shark has washed up on a beach in Australia after a bout of stormy weather, according to reports in local media outlets.

The shark, thought to be of the Grey Nurse variety, was pictured by local news lying on a beach at Lennox Head in New South Wales, just south of the city of Brisbane.

The picture of the shark was originally posted by locals on social media.

The image was reported as genuine by Nine News Sydney, an Australian television station. Other Australian media outlets including local newspaper The Northern Star reported the incident.

"It might look bigger in the photo but it is only about 4 ft," Victor Leto, who posted the photo on Facebook, wrote.

The shark is believed to have washed up after stormy weather caused by Cyclone Marcia, which has lashed Australia’s coastline.

Earlier this month local media, including Australia’s ABC public broadcaster, reported a fatal shark attack on a Japanese national surfing in the area, as well as a series of other shark encounters.

Surfers who witnessed the fatal attack in the Ballina area estimated the shark in that case to be 3.5-4m long.