What was Cyclone Tracy?
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated Darwin in the Northern Territory on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1974. It killed 66 people and destroyed most of the city's homes.
Tracy was a small but powerful cyclone. It crossed the city in the early hours of 25 December, with wind gusts estimated at more than 217 kilometres per hour.
Around 70 percent of Darwin's buildings were destroyed or badly damaged. Power, water and communications were cut off.
Evacuation and rebuilding
In the days after the cyclone, more than 30,000 people were evacuated by air and road, one of the largest evacuations in Australian history. Many never returned.
Major General Alan Stretton led the recovery operation. The city was rebuilt with much stronger building codes designed to withstand cyclones.
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory has a Cyclone Tracy exhibition, including a dark room where visitors can hear a recording of the storm. The cyclone remains a defining event in Darwin's history.
Cyclone Tracy also changed how Australia forecasts and warns communities about cyclones.