Although many people will recall the destruction wrought by Cyclone Tracy in December 1974, this was not the first time that Darwin had felt the full force of a cyclone.
Cyclones (also known as 'hurricanes' or 'typhoons' in the northern hemisphere) are areas of low atmospheric pressure surrounded by high wind systems which rotate in a clockwise direction. They are graded, according to their severity and wind velocity, on a scale of one to five (the latter being the most severe). Cyclone Tracy was a category four cyclone.
The cyclone season in Northern Australia begins on 1 November and extends until April. During this time many cyclones will form, though few will cause much destruction. Darwin and the north of Australia have felt the force of a cyclone on a number of occasions – the worst being in 1897, 1937 and 1974.
The practice of naming cyclones began in 1964. The original custom was that only female names were used; the use of male names did not begin until 1975.
The Bureau of Meteorology monitors the development and movement of cyclones across the north of Australia and issues warnings accordingly. The Bureau has cyclone warning centres in Darwin, Brisbane and Perth.
Most offices of the Archives hold records relating to cyclones. With few exceptions records become available for public use once they are over 30 years old.
The tables below include details of the major records holdings relating to cyclones in our Darwin office.
The series listed below (E490) includes photographs, tracking maps, synoptic reports, written summaries, watch and warning messages, post-cyclone reports, damage reports and press clippings relating to cyclones. The series began in 1956, but the Bureau of Meteorology has collected material relating to earlier cyclones extending as far back as 1839. Samples of record items from this series are included in the table.
 | Case history material for tropical cyclones | 1956–1992 | E490 | ||
 | Tropical cyclone case history – cyclone tracks 1923–1962, Northern Territory and Western Australia | 1923–1962 | E490, cyclone tracks 1923–1962 | ||
| Tracks of cyclones in the Northern Territory and Kimberley areas for 1962/63 to 1970/71 | 1962–1971 | E490, cyclone tracks 1963–1971 | ||
| Tropical cyclone Flora, 1–5 December 1964 | 1964 | E490, Flora 1964 | ||
The record items listed below refer to particular cyclones that have caused damage to Darwin.
| Cyclone at Darwin – report of damage done | 1915 | A3, NT1915/1942 | ||
| Cyclone damage to buildings in the town of Darwin | 1937 | A6006, 1937/04/21 | ||
| Cyclone, March 1937 – assistance | 1937 | F1, 1937/296 | ||
As Commonwealth records do not generally become publicly available until they are more than 30 years old, most of the records held by the Archives about Cyclone Tracy (including records of agencies such as the Natural Disasters Organisation and the Darwin Reconstruction Commission) will not be released until after 2005.
Records that are available now include weather-related information of the Bureau of Meteorology, news reports and program material of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the official reports of the Darwin Reconstruction Commission. Further details of records relating to Cyclone Tracy are included in Fact Sheet 176 – Cyclone Tracy, Darwin.
You can obtain more information about the record series listed above (and the items within the series) fromRecordSearch, the Archives database. Follow the links in the series lists to go directly to information on that series. You can also use RecordSearch to find out about the agencies that created the records and to locate more records on your subject. You might also explore PhotoSearch to find out if there are photos pertaining to your subject.
RecordSearch and PhotoSearch are available online or in all Archives reading rooms. Reference staff are available in the reading rooms to help you, or email ref@naa.gov.au.
Comments or other feedback can be sent to archives@naa.gov.au
updated September 2000