When Bowen man Graham Wilson couldn't sleep at 2am on Monday, he decided the best thing to do was spraypaint his white picket fence with a message for Cyclone Debbie.

"Cyclone Debbie bring it on Bowen is not a pussy town do your best you got," the painted sign reads.

"It means we'll cop it and move on," he said.

As Bowen residents brace themselves for what they say will be the worst cyclone to hit the town since 1958, Mr Wilson said he painted the sign to try to lift people's spirits.