iscover
It’s been five decades since the year “Santa never made it into Darwin”, when Cyclone Tracy devastated the Northern Territory capital in the wee hours of Christmas morning 1974.
In the wake of the disaster, the city – and all of Australia – pulled together to make sure its 40,000 people could safely rebuild.
This included the nation’s aviation industry, with Darwin Airport becoming a vital lifeline as airlines and the RAAF brought much-needed people and supplies to and from the Top End in one of the biggest airlifts in Australian history.
In this special episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake Nelson talks to Paul Boyce, who was TAA’s Darwin manager when the cyclone hit in 1974, for his firsthand account of the disaster – and what came next.
You can watch the episode on YouTube above and on your device by clicking here. You can also listen to the audio-only version by using the podcast player below.
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says:I remember it well – lots of Ansett and TAA 727 flights into Adelaide evacuating Darwin residents
Madonna Craven
says:QANTAS Boeing 747 uplifted record number of pax, with no baggage, fitting 4 in 3 seats, & 5 in 4 seats.
That record still stands………