On Christmas Eve 1974, Cyclone Tracy tore through Darwin, destroying most of the city in just a few hours and changing the Northern Territory forever.

In this episode of Territory Famous, I look back at Cyclone Tracy — not just as a powerful storm, but as a defining moment in Territory and Australian history. From the timing and intensity of the cyclone to the scale of destruction left behind, Tracy reshaped Darwin in ways that are still felt today.

This episode covers what happened during the storm, the immediate aftermath, and the mass evacuation that followed. It also looks at how the people of Darwin responded in the days and weeks after Tracy, showing resilience, humor, and mate ship in the face of enormous loss.

Cyclone Tracy remains one of the most significant natural disasters in Australian history — not only for what it destroyed, but for how it changed the Territory and the country.

Researched and written by: Kellie Arrowsmith

Audio editor: Bar Brawl Records https://www.facebook.com/BarBrawlRecords

Cover art: http://www.joshbauer.com/

"Skimpy' - a Territory memoir: Kellie Arrowsmith Books - Hachette Australia

Follow Territory Famous:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561090053520

Instagram: https://www.intagram.com/territoryfamous/

Tik Tok: Territory Famous (@territoryfamous) | TikTok

YouTube: (1) Territory Famous - YouTube

Resources:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-25/cyclone-tracy-warning-to-aboriginal-people-to-leave-darwin/5987974?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Survivor stories were taken from: Cyclone Tracy – Remembering Cyclone Tracy, fifty years later

Bill Barlow's full account (Red Cross Volunteer): Bill Barlow.pdf

Joy White: Cyclone Tracy: Bagot resident Joy White recalls losing her home in winds and floods - ABC News

Cyclone Tracy - Wikipedia

Documentary: Karla Grant Presents - Blown Away | SBS On Demand

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/tracy-a-force-of-nature/video/NS2439D001S00

Trevor arrived in Darwin in 2005 after giving up his belongings and wandering Australia collecting rubbish. He became known for turning rubbish into sculptures, getting himself listed in the NT News “Most Powerful Territorians” list, and then spending the next decade arguing with councils, churches, politicians, judges, and basically anyone who told him no.

Highlights from this episode:

• His time in Wadeye and why the council and Trevor could never agree on what went down • Getting kicked out of a chaplaincy course and a church for being “disruptive” • Running for Lord Mayor with the slogan “Vote one homeless bum” • Graffitiing the Darwin Magistrates Court in blue paint while wearing judicial robes • The NT Literary Awards incident and one of the funniest courtroom transcripts I’ve ever read • Why Trevor was eventually declared a vexatious litigant

Check out photos of Trevor’s artwork on the Territory Famous socials so you can see what those Blair Witch style sculptures looked like.

Researched and written by: Kellie Arrowsmith

Produced by: Territory Famous

Audio edited by: Bar Brawl Records

Cover art:

Link to 'Skimpy' a Territory memoir: Kellie Arrowsmith Books - Hachette Australia

Follow Territory Famous:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561090053520

Instagram: https://www.intagram.com/territoryfamous/

Tik Tok: Territory Famous (@territoryfamous) | TikTok

YouTube: (1) Territory Famous - YouTube

Resources:

Council argument news clip: Rubbish row - YouTube

Kels Gone Bush blog post: https://kelsgonebush.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/trevor-the-rubbish-warrior/

Court transcripts: PARTIES:_–––––

NTSC 58 Jenkins v City of Darwin 2 Aug.rtf

Timeline of Trevor's life in the Territory (paywall): Subscribe to NT News

Trevor running for council: 'Rubbish warrior' and disgraced former mayors in running for colourful Top End council elections - ABC News

You would think having a movie written about your life—especially one as wildly successful as Crocodile Dundee—would set you up for life, right? Unfortunately for Rod, that’s not what happened. Rod didn’t get his happy ending. Instead, his story spiraled into a tragic series of events that culminated in the deaths of two men: one died a hero, and the other died a criminal.

Audio editor: Bar Brawl Records https://www.facebook.com/BarBrawlRecords

Cover art: http://www.joshbauer.com/

"Skimpy' - a Territory memoir: Kellie Arrowsmith Books - Hachette Australia

Kel's Gone Bush - Coober Pedy episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/785ffgRqtUIlsGorXEuT64?si=4JqX74jdSfeNG8FBDocfhg

Resources

Cattle tossing reference: Tomahawks adventure travel and Survival blog: July 2014

Freemasons: Freemasonry - Wikipedia

Coronial inquest Microsoft Word - 102-103

Glen Huitson tributes : Glen Anthony - National Police Memorial

Police Remembrance Day: Remembering Northern Territory Sergeant Glen Huitson - ABC News

Wikipedia with links to multiple sources: Rod Ansell - Wikipedia