The Darwin Museum and Art Gallery was packed with experiences which covered so much more than just the Bombing and Cyclone Tracy.

Cyclone Tracy

Who can forget waking up on 12^th December 1974 to hear that Darwin had just about been obliterated due to Cyclone Tracy? I still remember that news: I found it hard to believe. It kept circulating, then the footage and photos, some now on display at the Museum. Cyclone Tracy wiped out about 80% of Darwin in one night.

Homes were mainly on stumps, had lots of windows on all sides and louvres too. Anything to let the airflow through the house on the hot summer days of the wet season. This design made them sitting ducks for Tracy’s fury. You can get a sense of it in the black room. You go into it, stand there and listen to Tracy blow.

I did like the sets of three photos, one taken before Tracy, the same view after Tracy and the same again after it had been rebuilt. Darwin is a new town because of Tracy.

YEAR 12 ARTWORK

We were extremely lucky to see an exhibition of artworks by Year 12 students from in and around Darwin. The range of talent was exceptional, paintings, sketching, film, you name it the kids probably used it. One was done with newspapers and showed scenes from WWII. It’s now finished, which is a shame as they were so good.

SWEETHEART, THE SALTY

This is one massive crocodile. He got his name because he lived in Sweets Lookout Billabong. He was quite aggressive and took to attacking boats (with outboard motors) and had been known to tip the people out into the water, but he didn’t attack them. There is a line of thought that says he did it because he was responding to the outboard motor sounds which sounded like other males coming into his area.

Sweetheart drowned while they were trying to move him to another area where his aggressive behaviour would not have caused so many issues.

These were just the highlights for me. This Museum is excellent, and it’s free.