Darwin after cyclone Tracy

Considered to be the worst natural disaster to hit Australia, Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that hit and demolished the City of Darwin on Christmas 1974. With winds extending 48 kilometres and speeds of over 217km an hour, Tracy killed 71 people, caused $837 million in damage and destroyed more than 80% of the buildings in Darwin.

On the 20th of December 1974 environmental satellites picked up a large cloud mass which was centred over the Arafura Sea just northeast of Darwin. The storm was officially declared a tropical cyclone and given the name Tracy. Following the next few days, Tracy proceeded to move south westerly passing north of Darwin until it rounded Cape Fourcroy on its western tip and moved south easterly towards Darwin. At this stage locals had not given too much concern towards to the cyclone and the ABC broadcast stated that Cyclone Tracy posed no immediate threat to Darwin.

By late afternoon on the 24th of December Darwin skies were heavily overcast with low clouds and rain. Wind gusts increased in strength and by 10pm damage to buildings edged on serious as residents began to realize that the cyclone would not simple pass by the city. Cyclone Tracy passed directly over Darwin just after midnight on Christmas Day with wind speeds of up to 300km/h.

By the time Tracy finally blew itself away, it had killed 71 people, 49 of whom were on land and 22 which were out at sea. Not only this but the storm had caused $837 million in damage and destroyed more than 80% of the buildings in Darwin. The Age stated that Cyclone Tracy was a disaster of the first magnitude...without parallel in Australia’s History.

Most Australians were not aware of the cyclone and the damage that it was caused until late in the afternoon of the 25th December 1974. This was mostly due to the destruction to transport infrastructure and also the fact that most media outlets had minimal staff rostered due to being a public holiday. At this stage Darwin ceased to exist as a city.

The Australian government began the enormous task of a mass evacuation of Darwin by both road and air. All defence personnel throughout Australia, as well as the entire royal Australian Air Forces supply of planes were called in to help. Over the next 2 days around 10, 000 people left Darwin and the surrounding area. Prior to Cyclone Tracy Darwin’s population sat at around 43, 500 people, and by the 31st of December that number had be reduced down to 10, 638. These numbers consisted mostly of men who were required to stay behind and help rebuild the city destroyed city.

In February 1975, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam announced that the Darwin reconstruction commission was to rebuild the city within five years. By 1978 they had succeeded in this feat and much of the city had recovered and was able to house almost the same number of people that were living there prior to Tracy. However, Darwins population has dramatically decreased permanently without return of its former residents. In the years that followed, Darwin was entirely rebuilt and now shows almost no resemblance to the old Darwin of 1974.