Christmas Day 1974

 "Santa never made it into Darwin
Disaster struck at dawn on Christmas Day
Santa never made it into Darwin
A Big wind came and blew the town away"

* * *

In the early hours of Christmas Day 1974 Tropical Cyclone Tracy swept through Darwin.

She was small and destructive. 

With winds that exceeded 217 km per hour before the anemometer at Darwin Airport was destroyed.

This girder is part of the Tracy Exhibit in Darwin Museum.

* "Cyclone Tracy had a profound impact on the Darwin community with over 70 per cent of Darwin’s homes destroyed or suffering severe damage, all public services including communications, power, water and  sewerage were severed, 

41,000 people left homeless, 35,362 people (of the 47,000 total population of Darwin) were evacuated and tragically 66 lives were lost."

50 years on - She remains one of the most destructive Natural disasters in Australia's History.

Santa Never Made it into Darwin, written by music duo Bill and Boyd.

*Darwin.nt.gov.au/ Cyclone Tracy 50th anniversary