"a big wind came and blew the town away ".. is the remainder of this ditty. Christmas Eve December 24, 1974 a mid category cyclone..nicknamed Tracy.. carrying with it 210kph (130mph) winds tore into the Australian Northern Territory capital city of Darwin, taking with it 71 men, women and children and wreaking utter devastation. Now northern Australians.. perhaps due to their tropical surroundings.. are a laid back mob and largely ignored the initial "top priority" warning about Tracy making landfall. There had been a near-miss from Cyclone Selma a few weeks before and besides Darwinites were in yuletide festive mode. The city was devastated by the cyclone. Other than the dead 145 were admitted to hospital with serious injuries. At least 90% Darwin homes were demolished or badly damaged. Forty-five vessels in the harbor were wrecked or damaged. Within a week after the cyclone hit more some two thirds of the population..30,000 had been evacuated by air or road. Darwin before after.