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...before we realized my friends and I were beginning to spin around at enormous speed. We had arrived in 1974 and landed right in the middle of a cyclone...Cyclone Tracey! This picture below is courtesy of Northern Territory Library Website they have a lot of interesting facts on Cyclone Tracey! Tracey " The wind noise was a cross between a screech and roar over all was the din of flying tin as it wrapped itself round bending electric poles and spiked itself on railings Everything shook, and so did we, from cold and fright" 25 Dec 1974 Poem courtesy of the National Archives of Australia. www.naa.gov.au December 20: a low pressure system was identified in the Arafura Sea.  December 21 - 9:30 am: a cyclone warning was issued and the name "Tracey" was given. December 22 - 3:30 pm: The radar in Darwin clearly identifies the cyclone about 200 kilometers north of the City. December 23 - 9:00 am: Heavy rains and winds were reported along the coast of Darwin. December 23 -12:30 pm: A cyclone warning was issued to the Darwin residents saying that Tracey should cross the coast early on Christmas Day. December 24 - 12:00 midnight: Darwin was being lashed with destructive winds reaching over 200 kilometers per hour. December 25 1:00 am: Torrential rain and destructive winds were reported throughout Darwin. 3:00 am Wind gusts were reaching greater than 200 kilometers per hour. 3:10 am The wind recorder at the Airport failed at 217 kilometers per hour. 4:00 am The cyclone’s eye was directly overhead and pressure was felt around Darwin for about 30 minutes. 4:30 am More extreme winds recommenced but this time they came from the opposite direction and were much more devistating. Before the Cyclone After the Cyclone After the Cyclone (Pictures courtesy of Judy Florance) The photo at top left represents a typical Darwin home before the cyclone. The other two photos show the same house after the cyclone. These photos indicate that this house was still in pretty good condition compared to other houses in Darwin after the cyclone hit the city in December 1974.