A 30-year-old Singaporean man was arrested on Tuesday (May 9) afternoon for the attempted murder of a woman the night before in Brisbane's Norman Park.

The incident had sparked a police manhunt for the man, who only arrived in Australia last Sunday (May 6). The 20-year-old victim is from Hong Kong and lives in Australia.

Australian news media outlets reported that the man, who has yet to be identified, was nabbed just after 2pm (Australian time) at a Norman Park address.

Queensland Police Service said in a media release issued early Tuesday that the man had hit the victim in the head with a hammer in a Norman Avenue residence at 9.30pm.

He then stabbed her multiple times in the upper body with a knife before leaving the scene on foot.

"The woman was transported to the Princess Alexandra Hospital with what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries," the release added.

She reportedly suffered a fractured skull and had stab wounds in her shoulder.

The man was described by police as Asian in appearance with a slim build. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, and red and black boxer shorts with no footwear, and left a number of personal belongings - including his passport - in the residence.

Queensland police said during a press conference on Tuesday morning that the man and the victim were in a relationship after meeting online a few months ago.

The man had booked the Norman Park residence through rental site Airbnb, with the attack occurring when the victim visited him at the house.

At the press conference, a police spokesman said he could not speculate on what the man and his motives were, adding that it was not a "random attack".

The victim has yet to be interviewed due to the severity of her injuries.

Correction note: An earlier version of this article said the victim is Singaporean. She is from Hong Kong.