Cyclone Tracy
Tracy killed 71 people, caused $837 million in damage (1974 AUD) and destroyed more than 70% of Darwin's buildings, including 80% of the houses. Of the 49,000 people who lived in Darwin, 20,000 people were left homeless. More than 30,000 people had to leave the city. Most of Darwin's population were moved to Adelaide, Whyalla, Alice Springs and Sydney. Many people never returned to Darwin. The city was rebuilt using modern materials and updated building methods. Bruce Stannard of The Age stated that Cyclone Tracy was a "disaster ... without parallel in Australia's history."