The cyclone that wiped out most of Darwin on Christmas Day 1974 was Cyclone Tracy.
Cyclone Tracy was a category 4 cyclone which began as a tropical storm in the Arafura Sea. The winds were so strong that they blew away the instruments at the airport, suggesting that the cyclone was actually category 5 when it hit. It wiped out about 70% of the town, which has since been rebuilt to be as cyclone-proof as it possibly can.
Monday 1974 December 24-December25
Australia's famous Christmas natural disatser was when Cyclone Tracy virtually wiped out the Northern Territory capital of Darwin. The town had to be completely rebuilt, and it took many years.
Cyclone Tracy is the only cyclone to have directly hit and damaged Darwin, to date. Many cyclones circulate in the waters east and west of Darwin each year. Only four have caused significant damage in and around Darwin, and these occurred in 1897 (when the city was still known as Palmerston); 1917; 1937; and 1974.
Some significant events that occurred in December 1974 include the end of the OPEC oil embargo, author John Lennon appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and the kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
Cyclone Tracy, which struck Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974, is considered Australia's most destructive cyclone. It caused widespread devastation, destroying over 70% of the city's buildings and resulting in 71 fatalities. The cyclone's intensity, with wind gusts exceeding 200 km/h, and its timing during a major holiday contributed to the high impact and loss of life. Tracy led to significant changes in building codes and disaster management in Australia.
The cyclone that hit Darwin on Christmas Day was Cyclone Tracy, which struck in 1974.
On Christmas Day 1974, three quarters of Darwin was wiped out by Cyclone Tracy.
Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin shortly after 2am on 25 December 1974 - Christmas Day.
Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin on Christmas Day, 25 December 1974, destroying three-quarters of the city.
Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin on Christmas Day, 25 December 1974, destroying three-quarters of the city.
Cyclone Tracy (it hit Darwin, in the early hours of Christmas Day, 1974)
Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin just after midnight on Christmas Day in 1974 and lasted until about 7:00 am.
On 24 December 1974, Cyclone Tracy moved in to Darwin Harbour. On Christmas Day, 25 December 1974, the cyclone left the city in shreds.
Cyclone Tracy, which devastated Darwin just after midnight on Christmas Day in 1974, lasted until about 7:00 am on Christmas morning.
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974.The cyclone killed 71 people.
Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin just after midnight on Christmas Day in 1974 and lasted until about 7:00 am.