the festive occasion that the people of
Darwin were expecting.
Tracy was detected in the Arafura Sea on 20 December 1974, when it was only a cloud mass. On the 23rd and 24th Tracy slowly moved southeast passing Bathurst Island. It then headed straight for Darwin. Warnings were issued by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, but because it was
Christmas Eve little precautions were taken. Many people went to Christmas parties, got drunk and went to sleep, waking up to a living nightmare.
In the late hours of the afternoon on the 24th of December, the city of Darwin was hidden by low
clouds and faced with a strong rain and windstorm.
For 6 hours, from 10.00pm that night, Tracy tore
Darwin apart, severely devastating houses and
buildings. Approximately 65 people died and
hundreds were injured. The break of dawn on
Christmas Day revealed the utter devastation
brought on by cyclone Tracy.
Cyclone Tracy
Christmas Eve of December 1974 was not
the festive occasion that the people of
Darwin were expecting.
Tracy was detected in the Arafura Sea on 20 December 1974, when it was only a cloud mass. On the 23rd and 24th Tracy slowly moved southeast passing Bathurst Island. It then headed straight for Darwin. Warnings were issued by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, but because it was
Christmas Eve little precautions were taken. Many people went to Christmas parties, got drunk and went to sleep, waking up to a living nightmare.
In the late hours of the afternoon on the 24th of December, the city of Darwin was hidden by low
clouds and faced with a strong rain and windstorm.
For 6 hours, from 10.00pm that night, Tracy tore
Darwin apart, severely devastating houses and
buildings. Approximately 65 people died and
hundreds were injured. The break of dawn on
Christmas Day revealed the utter devastation
brought on by cyclone Tracy.
The Darwin Story from National Archives of Australia on Vimeo.
of cyclone
Wind Speed