Christmas Eve 1974

Christmas Eve 1974 - the mood

As had been the case on the eve of the bombing of Darwin in February 1942, the pervasive mood in the town on Christmas Eve 1974 had been one of acceptance of the reality of danger, but the rejection of any suggestion that the threat of a cyclone should impinge on events of the day.

Earlier in December 1974 Cyclone Selma had hovered around Darwin before changing course and disappearing. There was a widespread belief that Tracy would behave similarly. Darwin residents for the most part went about the serious business of celebrating Christmas, and preparing for the holiday break.

However, it must be put on record that many individuals, businesses, and government departments prepared to meet the threat of Cyclone Tracy in exemplary fashion. Had they not done so, the impact of Tracy would have been even more severe, and the chaotic aftermath would have been even more difficult.

"Cyclone Tracy" formally came into existence at 10 AM on 21 December 1974, when it lay well to Darwin's north. On 24 December 1974 Tracy rounded Cape Fourcroy, Bathurst Island's western tip, and then moved along an east-south-easterly course toward Darwin.

The arrival, course and impact of the cyclone in Darwin

The formation and path of Tracy (Meteorological Section)

By late afternoon on 24 December 1974 Darwin was cloaked by heavy and low cloud and it was experiencing ever stronger rain squalls and wind gusts. By about 10 PM the winds were causing physical damage. By midnight the damage was becoming serious, and it was apparent that Cyclone Tracy was about to pass across the city. Over the next six hours Tracy substantially destroyed Darwin and killed 65 people - 49 on land, and 16 at sea.

There are many varying accounts of how the news of the cyclone first reached the outside world from a Darwin which by daylight on Christmas morning had no internal or external communications. Gradually the news was emitted from several points of origin, by a series of improvisations. By lunch time on Christmas Day the broad details of the disaster were known to officials in Canberra; later that afternoon the Australian public had become aware that a cyclone had struck Darwin and that the city's plight was "grave".