The category three tropical cyclone continues to pick up speed, moving southeast at 46km/h on a direct path toward the island, about 1440km east of Brisbane.
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said the Australian Defence Force, federal police and emergency personnel teams were on standby.
Tourists and visitors have been urged to flee before Gabrielle makes landfall on Saturday.
"One of the complications there is that as well as having the residents, there's also tourists and tourists have been certainly advised that the cyclone is coming. If they choose to leave the island, then the last flight will be leaving fairly shortly," Senator Watt told ABC on Friday.
"But the local authorities also assure us that they do have a number of cyclone-rated facilities there and they don't have huge concerns for the safety of people."
Teams of military and emergency personnel will be deployed to the territory if needed.
"We want to make sure that if this system does end up hitting Norfolk Island in the way that we're expecting, that support will be able to mobilise quickly," Senator Watt said.
Generators were checked and backup communications readied as the island's 2000 residents prepared to face gale-force winds with gusts in excess of 140km/h.
"Everybody is hard at it at the moment," emergency controller George Plant told AAP on Friday.
"In times like this, the community just gets together and does what's required."
Cyclone Gabrielle was about 1140km northwest of Norfolk Island and 630km east-northeast of Sandy Cape on Friday afternoon.
Based on Bureau of Meteorology warnings, Mr Plants said the system could batter the island with some of the most severe weather the residents had faced.
"The centre of the cyclone is likely to pass very close to Norfolk Island on Saturday evening," the BOM said in its advice to island residents.
"Gale-force winds and high waves are expected from overnight tonight (Friday), well ahead of the cyclone centre, expected to pass nearby on Saturday evening.
"As the cyclone centre passes, destructive winds may ease for a short period of time, due to the eye of the system, before it suddenly picks up again, blowing from the opposite direction."
An emergency evacuation centre will be available on Saturday morning. Seas are expected to be between 5m and 7m, with peak waves possibly higher.
New Zealand's Met Service expects the cyclone to weaken to a tropical low before it reaches New Zealand's North Island.
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