Great Territory Lifestyle. A Territory Government InitiativeCyclone Tracy
The greatest natural disaster in Australia’s history was the destruction of the city of Darwin by Cyclone Tracy on 24 December 1974. What began as a tropical low on 20 December 1974 gradually intensified and on 24 December Tracy changed course and headed directly toward Darwin. Warnings were issued but Darwin hadn’t experienced a severe cyclone in many years, and being Christmas Eve many Darwin residents were unprepared. Cyclone Tracy killed 49 people in the city with a further 16 at sea, and the majority of buildings were totally destroyed or badly damaged with very few escaping unscathed.
Cyclone Tracy Exhibition – Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) has a permanent exhibition dedicated to Cyclone Tracy. The exhibition features documentary footage, examples of Darwin’s unique architecture, photographs and sound recordings of Cyclone Tracy to capture the impact of Cyclone Tracy on Territorians. The Cyclone Tracy gallery at MAGNT was upgraded for the 30th anniversary of Tracy in 2004 and a booklet, Cyclone Tracy, an Unforgettable Christmas was published.
Cyclone Tracy Website – Northern Territory Library
The Northern Territory Library (NTL) has a dedicated website to inform people about Cyclone Tracy and its effects on Darwin. Since NTL opened in 1980 one of the most persistent research requests from a range of visitors including school students, tourists, and survivors of Tracy and their families is for information on Cyclone Tracy. The website has three main areas including:
- Cyclone Tracy – covers the history of Darwin, previous cyclones and a detailed analysis of the build up, destruction and aftermath of Cyclone Tracy itself.
- Meteorological Cyclone Information – includes information about cyclones in general and Tracy in particular
- Oral Histories – a collection of compelling stories told by Darwin identities of their Tracy experiences using ‘talking slides’ to provide a human perspective to living through the cyclone.
A Cyclone Tracy Exhibition will be open at the Northern Territory Library from Monday 14 December 2009 to Sunday 7 February 2010. The exhibition features records from the NTL collection including an evacuees list of nearly 33,000 names, and many other records and dedications that pay tribute to the victims and survivors of Tracy.
Cyclone Tracy Website – Northern Territory Archives Service
The Territory Government’s Northern Territory Archives Service (NTAS) holds a wide range or archival resources relevant to the history and the impact of Cyclone Tracy on the community.
The NTAS holdings fall under two general categories – Government Archives and Community Archives. Community Archives are made up of personal records of individuals and organisations and oral histories.
NTAS has an online Guide to Archives relating to Cyclone Tracy available on its website.
This listing includes details of all records series from government and individuals in the NTAS collections that are relevant to Cyclone Tracy. Many of the personal collections include photographs.
The NTAS also holds an extensive collection of oral history interviews relating to experiences of the cyclone and the aftermath of the disaster. A listing of the interview transcripts available for research at the NTAS Search Room is available in the online guide.
Audio extracts from four interviews can be accessed online at the NTAS website.
