Cyclone Tracy transitions: See how Darwin has been rebuilt 40 years after the devastation

Updated

When Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin at Christmas in 1974, 66 people died, 70 per cent of homes were destroyed and the city was denuded. But Territorians vowed to rebuild their homes and lives. These interactive before and after photos show how Darwin has been reborn.

Looking south down Smith Street © 1974 photograph: Northern Territory Library/Albert A. Dixon Collection; 2014 digital montage: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin's northern suburbs but some of the more robust modern buildings in the heart of the city survived.

Rooftops and rubble were strewn across streets like Smith Street, which has since been transformed into a mall.

Despite surviving the cyclone, many of the buildings in the mall - which serves as the city's heart during the day - have been replaced by modern developments.

Corner of Boyle Street and Rothdale Road, Moil © 1974 photograph: Northern Territory Library/NT Department of Housing and Construction Collection; 2014 photograph: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

Moil was one of those northern suburbs that caught the brunt of Cyclone Tracy.

This photo, looking at the corner of Boyle Street and Rothdale Road, shows the peculiar, random nature of the things that survived: in this case a low-cast rock wall.

The original photograph was taken by an unknown staff photographer at the Department of Housing and Construction, redolent of an era when government departments had their own photographers.

Cavenagh Street looking towards the council offices © 1974 photograph: Baz Ledwidge; 2014 photograph: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

It is remarkable how many buildings in Cavenagh Street survived: the three main buildings on the right of the image are still standing, while the council offices in the distance also remain.

The photographer who took the 1974 image, Baz Ledwidge, still plies his trade in Darwin 40 years after he took the original photograph.

In 1974 he had just left a job with the Australian Information Service and spent Christmas Eve with friends in their house in the city.

When he woke the next morning, surrounded by devastation, he took his camera to the streets to capture the damage in Darwin.

Smith Street from Cashman's Newsagency © 1974 photograph: Baz Ledwidge; 2014 digital montage: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

Baz Ledwidge's view of Smith Street on Christmas Day in 1974 emphasises the chaos wrought by Cyclone Tracy: cars parked innocently the night before are strewn with - and destroyed by - signage, roofing and fencing.

The original photograph was taken outside Cashman's newsagency in Smith Street.

While Smith Street has transformed from a main road into a pedestrian mall, Cashman's remains, although the business has moved a few doors along since the first photo was taken.

The Administrator's Offices were reconstructed after the cyclone © 1974 photograph: NT Archives Services/Leo John Adams Collection; 2014 digital montage: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

One of the few buildings to be reconstructed true to its original form, the Administrator's offices give an historic sense of Darwin before Cyclone Tracy hit.

Leo Adams, a retired waterside welder from Port Kembla, travelled to Darwin to celebrate Christmas with his son Chris, daughter-in-law Maria and their children Jacinta, aged two, and Kellie, aged five.

The family sheltered from Cyclone Tracy in their brick home in Alawa while houses around them were torn apart.

During the days following Christmas, Leo and his son Chris took a camera and the family car around Darwin to document the damage.

Anthony Street at the corner of Van Diemen Street, Wagaman © 1974 photograph: David Astley; 2014 digital montage: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan



Journalist David Astley was an Englishman who found himself drawn to the tropics and living in Darwin in 1974.

Surviving the cyclone huddled under a mattress, he discovered one of his few remaining possessions was a camera with half a roll of film left.

The first scene he photographed was the remnants of his home in Anthony Street, Wagaman.

Surprisingly the only feature of the original photograph that still remains - the Parer Drive water tower - is obscured by regrowth of the lush tropical vegetation.

Thong Teck Lee outside his Wagaman home © 1974 photograph: Chin Kang Lee; 2014 photograph: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

Malaysian-born obstetrician Dr Thong Tek Lee and his wife Sim moved to Darwin in 1972.

"It was such a small place compared to Kuala Lumpur. It was a bit of a culture shock," Dr Lee said.

They were sharing Christmas Eve dinner with friends when Cyclone Tracy started to beat down on their adopted city in 1974.

The couple and their two young children survived the night by hiding in a corner behind their Wagaman home.

Dr Lee's first instinct when morning broke was to find his camera.

"The first thing in my mind is to record [the destruction]," he said.

The original photo was taken by Dr Lee's friend, Chin Kang Lee, and last week Dr Lee returned to his old Limmen Street home to recreate the moment.

The couple have spent the past 40 years in Darwin and are still in touch with their neighbours and friends from 1974.

Knuckey Street looking towards Cavenagh Street, Darwin © 1974 photograph: Northern Territory Library/Rob Wesley-Smith Collection; 2014 photograph: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

Rob Wesley-Smith was living in Darwin and working for the government as an agricultural scientist when Cyclone Tracy hit.

The well-known local picked up his camera on Christmas Day and took photographs of the damage in the centre of Darwin.

With a mind to the historical value of his experiences, Mr Wesley-Smith has donated an array of work to the Northern Territory Library.

Rothdale Road, Jingili © 1974 photograph: Northern Territory Library/NT Department of Housing and Construction Collection; 2014 photograph: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

Another photograph from the anonymous photographer at the Department of Housing and Construction, this 1974 image illustrates how the cyclone denuded the trees of Darwin. The roads were cleared by residents after the cyclone had passed to allow traffic through.

The view south towards the Esplanade © 1974 photograph: National Archives of Australia; 2014 photograph: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

These views from Smith Street towards the Esplanade and the Timor Sea illustrate the 21st century redevelopment of a city that was largely demolished in 1974.

Northern suburbs like Alawa were devastated © 1974 photograph: NT Archives Service/Leo John Adams Collection; 2014 photograph: 105.7 ABC Darwin/Ray Hunt

Leo Adams's images are some of the few high-quality colour photographs that have not faded over 40 years since Cyclone Tracy.

This view over Alawa reinforces the devastation Cyclone Tracy indiscriminately wrought on man-made structures and nature.

The regrowth obscures the rebuilding that has ensued over the past 40 years.

Lee Point Road looking towards Parer Drive, Moil © 1974 photograph: NT Archives Service/Leo John Adams Collection; 2014 digital montage: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

The view north along Lee Point Road with Byrne Park on the left shows the Parer Drive Water Tower in the distance, which is today obscured by the tropical regrowth.

Rothdale Road, Moil © 1974 photograph: NT Archives Service/Leo John Adams Collection; 2014 photograph: 105.7 ABC Darwin/John Donegan

The hand-painted sign on the house at 20 Rothdale Road shows that Darwin residents still had to deal with everyday mundanities like driveway access in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy.

Topics: cyclone, cyclones, darwin-0800

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