Cyclone of 1918, Mackay
The North Bank of the Pioneer River, Mackay area, after the 1918 Cyclone [John Oxley Library neg. 132577]
The Pioneer Bridge, Washed Away during the 1918 Cyclone [John Oxley Library neg. 5088]
A disastrous cyclone hit the coast of Queensland in January 1918, one of the hardest hit areas being Mackay, which was inundated by a tidal wave on the 20th and 21st of that month: "an elevation of the seasurface in the form of a wave which at Mackay slowly rose for about an hour, reaching a height of 7 feet 9 inches above the highest spring-tide level; it remained stationary at that height for about ten minutes, and slowly fell again."
Queensland Parliamentary Papers, Vol. 1, 1918, p.1645
For some period after the eye passed through Mackay the outside world had no real idea of the devastation, as all communications had been cut: telegraph lines were down; railway lines were twisted and broken; and dangerous seas prevented any navigation to the port of Mackay. The cyclone and the accompanying deluge (about 266mm were registered) wreaked havoc in the town of Mackay and particularly on the waterfront. Buildings were partially destroyed, unroofed, and overturned; Croker's stores on the riverfront were flattened. The ship 'Tay' although in reasonable condition, and the barge 'Apa' were aground on the north bank, and the Sydney Street Bridge no longer spanned the river.
QuickTime panorama | Static panorama | Customs House | Michelmore's Warehouse | Pioneer River | Post Office | Prince of Wales Hotel | The Leichardt Tree
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