1897 Darwin cyclone

1897 Darwin cyclone Overall effects

Fatalities| >28
Damage| A$150,000
Areas affected| Northern Territory
Three men among the debris of a collapsed building after the 1897 cyclone

The 1897 cyclone was a tropical cyclone that destroyed the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is considered the worst cyclone to strike the Northern Territory of Australia prior to Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Prior to contemporary naming conventions, the storm became known as the "Great Hurricane".[1]

## Damage

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The Victoria Hotel after the 1897 cyclone

The cyclone hit Darwin in the evening of the 6 January 1897, peaking between 3.30am and 4.30am on 7 January. It dumped 292 mm (11.5 in) of rain on Darwin, then known as Palmerston.[2] It uplifted roofs, uprooted trees and telegraph poles destroying almost all of the buildings.[3] The only remaining structures include the historic Victoria Hotel, doctors residence, BAT House, the Commercial and E. S. & A. Banks and the Court House. These remaining structures housed scores of homeless residents after the cyclone.[4]

There were 28 fatalities, mostly Chinese and Aboriginal people.[5][6] One family was reported to have run from three different houses as they were destroyed around them, surviving without injury. Illness spread throughout the predominantly homeless population after the cyclone.[4] While little is known about the Aboriginal loss of life, the deaths of a couple of women who sought refuge in the Roman Catholic Church before its collapse were documented.[7]

The other major loss of life occurred on Darwin Harbour, with the deaths of many "coloured persons" working in the pearling industry. Of 29 vessels in the harbour at the time, 18 were wrecked, mostly pearling luggers such as the Flowerdale, Maggie, Roebuck, Cleopatra, Olive, Florence, Revenge, Jack, Black Jack, Brisbane and Galatea. The government steam launch and three sampans were also damaged. Many crews donated to the rebuilding efforts. The pearling fleet was quickly restored and expanded and by 1898, 55 vessels were operational.[7]

Another building that suffered significant damage was the Darwin Public School, and the home of its schoolmistress Catherine Pett, which were largely destroyed.[8][9][10]

One of the people to loose their home was businesswoman Amelia Kilian and parts of her house was reported to have "blown into the sea" and her survival, alongside her children, was considered miraculous.[11][12]

The damage is estimated to have cost over £150,000 in 1897 values.[2]

## See also

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* Cyclone Tracy
* Cyclone Marcus

## References

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1. ^ Murphy, Kevin (1984). Big blow up north: A history of tropical cyclones in Australia's Northern Territory. NT University Planning Authority. ISBN 0724506608.
2. ^ a b "Cyclone - Darwin 1897". Australian Disaster Resilience: Knowledge Hub. Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
3. ^ Price Collection (8 February 1897). "China Town". Territory Stories. Northern Territory Library. hdl:10070/25940. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
4. ^ a b "Terrible Hurricane at Fort Darwin". Northern Territory Times and Gazette. Vol. XXII, no. 1210\. Northern Territory, Australia. 5 February 1897. p. 2. Retrieved 4 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
5. ^ "The Advertiser. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1897". The Advertiser. Vol. XXXIX, no. 11928\. South Australia. 9 January 1897. p. 4. Retrieved 4 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
6. ^ "Darwin's Cyclone of 40 Years Ago: Family Reunion". The News. Vol. XXVIII, no. 4, 255. South Australia. 12 March 1937. p. 10. Retrieved 4 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
7. ^ a b Lamb, John (2015). Silent Pearl: old Japanese graves in Darwin and the history of pearling. Self-published. ISBN 9780994457301.
8. ^ James, Barbara (2008). "Catherine Petter nee Cooper (1864-1926)". Northern Territory Dictionary of Biography (Rev ed.). Darwin: Charles Darwin University Press. pp. 462–464\. hdl:10070/492231. ISBN 9780980457810. Retrieved 2025-06-12.[dead link]
9. ^ "The Port Darwin Cyclone". Evening Journal. Vol. XXIX, no. 8167\. South Australia. 15 January 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
10. ^ "The Port Darwin Cyclone". South Australian Register. Vol. LXII, no. 15, 655. South Australia. 15 January 1897. p. 6. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
11. ^ "Terrible Hurricane at Port Darwin". Northern Territory Times And Gazette. Vol. XXII, no. 1209\. Northern Territory, Australia. 25 January 1897. p. 2. Retrieved 29 April 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
12. ^ James, Barbara (2008). "Amelia Albertina Kilian nee Gunther (1849-1927)". Northern Territory Dictionary of Biography (Rev ed.). Darwin: Charles Darwin University Press. pp. 320–321\. ISBN 9780980457810.