It is hard to comprehend the force with which Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin early on Christmas Day, 1974. It was so ferocious that it killed 66 people, partly or completely destroyed 10,000 homes, and wiped out most public utilities.
In its wake, at the height of the wet season, the town was left with no electricity, no reliable water supply and no sewerage. Thousands of people were made homeless overnight.
When the rest of Australia learned what had happened, an unprecedented recovery operation began. Fear of disease prompted a mass evacuation. Of the 47,000 people in Darwin that Christmas, 23,000 were evacuated by air to other cities within a week. Others left by road. By New Year’s Day, the population was down to 11,000. Many evacuees never returned, with some too traumatised to think of ever living in Darwin again.
