Jill Williams is sheltering at her work in Cooktown tonight for fear her house will not survive the destructive force of Cyclone Ita. Source: News Corp Australia
Cooktown locals are stockpiling supplies as the town braces for its first major cyclone in 65 years.
Cyclone Ita has been upgraded to a category five storm and is expected to hit the Queensland coast shortly.
Courier-Mail reporter Peter Michael captures the fury of Cyclone Ita in Cooktown.
CYCLONE Ita has hit far north Queensland's coast with wind speeds of more than 200 kilometres an hour. Refresh this page for regular updates.
12.10am: Severe tropical cyclone Ita weakened slightly after crossing the far north Queensland coast but still has very destructive winds with gusts up to 205km/h near its centre.
Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecaster Andrew Busalino said high winds and heavy rain were still expected after the cyclone crossed the coast near Cape Flattery at about 9pm (AEST), with winds up to 230km/h.
``At 11pm Ita was downgraded to category three, which is quite expected as it loses its moisture source (over land),'' he told AAP.
``But we are still expecting severe conditions, with wind gusts above 200km/h.''
Mr Busalino said Ita had been tracking south/south-west but is now showing signs it could take a more southerly track early on Saturday.
11.40pm: THE Bureau of Meteorology has downgraded Cyclone Ita to a Category 3 system, two hours after it made landfall near Cape Flattery.
As of 11pm the cyclone was around 45km north of Cooktown and 215km north north west of Cairns, moving down the coast around 12km/h.
Winds up to 205km/h are still being recorded near the core of the cyclone, with gales extending 140km from its centre.
Hundreds of Cooktown residents are secured in the emergency shelter at the town's Events Centre, bracing for the brunt of the system to wash over them in the next few hours.
Deputy Mayor Penny Johnson said there had been reports of roofs off in the town, falling trees, and a shed destroyed, but the worst was yet to come.
"We've got horizontal winds and seriously bending trees that we can see through the events centre," she said.
"The worst of it is probably yet to come, particularly with the clean up."
Despite that she said the people of Cooktown were resilient and the mood inside the emergency shelter was "calm, sensible and orderly".
Cooktown Motel owner Scott Orchard said while the storm had already torn down trees it was impossible to tell the extent of the damage.
"It's windy, there's a lot of trees down and all that jazz, but it hasn't really hit just yet," he said.
South of Cooktown, Lions Den Hotel staff member Lyn Costello said the weather was getting a "bit rough", but was expecting the wind to pick up in the coming hours.
"It's raining and it's windy but we've still got power and we've had no big branches come down," she said.
"We've had just bits and pieces just falling down but no big branches. We think it will come down later on in the night."
Further west at Laura, emergency organiser and store owner Harold Tavner said the town was experiencing steady rain and had been bracing for the impact of the cyclone, but it was "very good" to hear the system had been downgraded.
He said most of the townspeople had stayed put on their properties, although a number were hunkering down in the town's emergency shelter.
"They're mainly in their homes. There were 15 where we've got designated as the shelter," he said.
Destructive winds are battering far north Queensland after Cyclone Ita crossed the coast at Cape Flattery.
11.16pm: Cooktown man, Clinton, reported flying debris as winds picked up around his home.
``It's like a white-out,'' he told the ABC.
Brad, of Bloomfield, near Cooktown, has used Twitter to spread the word about Ita on Friday night.
``Did I say it was windy before? Well ... it has risen a few levels in a few minutes. Big rain. Big wind.''
10.51pm: Howling winds are battering Cooktown as severe tropical cyclone Ita crosses the far north Queensland coast, a resident says.
Russell Bowman, who owns a local fishing tackle shop, opted to stay with his family and pets in his house.
``It's very very gusty now. I guess the next hour or two will be the real tell. There are some big gusts blasting through and there's sweeping rain with the wind now,'' he told the ABC.
``I've seen some comments on social media that there are some trees down and some roofs gone as well but we've heard nothing just near to us to indicate anything.
``We're in a little bit of a hollow here so we are just tucked down and waiting.
``I'm sure we're going to wake up to quite a bit of devastation in the morning.''
The storm is intensifying, with trees being stripped of their leaves and debris picked up in the wind, Mr Bowman said.
``The wind is just starting to really howl at the moment. I think that we are starting to see the effects of the cyclone now.''
Power was cut about 9.30pm, he said, but his shop has a back-up generator and the family could relocate there once the threat of storm surge has passed.
10.45pm: Cyclone Ita is expected to be downgraded to a Category 3 cyclone in the next few hours as it travels down the Queensland coast.
Bureau of Meteorology weather forecaster Andrew Bufalino said the Category 4 cyclone had now crossed onto the Australian landmass and would lose intensity as it came off the ocean and into contact with higher ground.
"It definitely should be an easing trend over the next couple of hours," he said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it starts to lose intensity quite rapidly over the next couple of hours."
He said there was a "slight chance" of storm tide along the coast from Cape Tribulation to Cairns, including Port Douglas, which could produce flooding along the foreshore.
10.35pm: Port Douglas is being drenched by heavy downpours and strong winds as Cyclone Ita passes to the north.
But locals have been left somewhat relieved the storm's projected path should no longer see it pass directly over the tourist haven.
Courier-Mail reporter Peter Michael captures the fury of Cyclone Ita in Cooktown.
10pm: Wind has torn the roofs off a museum and a house in Cooktown as Cyclone Ita makes its way down the Queensland coast.
Cook Shire Deputy Mayor Penny Johnson said winds were beginning to pick up, bringing down power lines and causing damage to a number of properties.
"We've had reports of some damage to a couple of local homes and also the James Cook Museum," she said.
Cr Johnson said museum staff had made preparations for the cyclone over the past few days to protect as much of the collection as possible, which includes the anchor and cannon from the HMS Endeavour.
But Cr Johnson said the atmosphere in the town's emergency centre was peaceful in comparison to the storm raging outside, and many children had already gone to sleep.
"Everyone seems fairly calm and subdued. I guess the reality will hit tomorrow when the first inspections are done and the assessments are made of the amount of damage that's been sustained," she said.
9.50pm: Cooktown has been left in the dark by Cyclone Ita's destructive forces, with many of homes now without power.
A spokesperson from Ergon energy said about 1800 customers had been without the power since 9pm tonight.
Power is unlikely to be returned as wild weather keeps crews away overnight.
9.15pm: Cyclone Ita has hit far north Queensland's coast with wind speeds of more than 200 kilometres an hour.
The category four cyclone's eye crossed Cape Flattery, more than 300km north of Cairns, around 9pm and will gradully track southwards.
Gales extend 185 kilometres from the centre and powerful wind gusts of more than 125km/h are expected to develop between Cape Melville and Cooktown and reach as far south as Port Douglas by Saturday morning.
There's a possibility that Ita could track south close to the coast, bringing wind gusts of 150km/h to Cairns tomorrow.
Coastal residents between Cape Flattery and Cape Tribulation, including Cooktown, are being warned of the dangerous storm tide.
``The sea is likely to rise steadily up to a level which will be significantly above the normal tide, with damaging waves, strong currents and flooding of low-lying areas extending some way inland,'' the bureau says.
8.45pm: Local disaster management officials have closed the storm tide shelter at Edmonton, south of Cairns, following the downgrading of Cyclone Ita to a category 4.
People who have sought refuge at the facility will be transferred to the Redlynch shelter.
8.30pm: Wind gusts are now reaching 154km/h at Cape Flattery as Cyclone Ita bears down on the Queensland coast.
The Category 4 system is estimated to be 80km north northeast of Cooktown and 240 km north of Cairns, moving at around 11km/h.
Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott told The Courier-Mail strong winds had torn the roof off at least one house in Cooktown, with the couple inside taking refuge in the town's emergency shelter as weather intensifies.
Heavy rain pelts down in Cooktown around 8.30pm Friday. Source: News Corp Australia
8.10pm: Homes have reportedly been flattened and an elderly lady compulsorily evacuated from her home during the early onslaught of Cyclone Ita.
Cooktown is in lockdown as winds exceeding 120km/h lash the far north township.
At least one house has lost a roof and another was demolished as the tempest approaches.
Police said one elderly woman was taken from her home after it was damaged.
7.55pm: THE Queensland Fire and Rescue Service says it has received reports of bogus calls to Innisfail residents from people pretending to be SES members.
The callers offer to visit residents' homes, bag their belongings and store them in a safe and dry shed.
When the occupant asks for further information, including which SES group they are from and their name, the caller hangs up.
Police have been advised.
Premier Campbell Newman said he was aware of the reports and urged everyone to ignore the calls.
"If you pull stunts like that we will track you down and you will be in a lot of trouble," he said.
The winds and rains from Cyclone Ita build on the deserted main street of Cooktown. Source: News Corp Australia
7.45pm: CYCLONE Ita is expected to pass further inland than originally expected, with the Bureau of Meteorology revising the projected path of the system westward in the latest modelling.
The Bureau is now expecting the cyclone to head southward, further west of Mareeba tomorrow night before leaving the state as a tropical low to the south of Cardwell on Sunday morning.
BOM senior forecaster Pradeep Singh said Port Douglas was on the edge of the warning zone, and would receive strong winds and rain as the cyclone passed inland.
But he said there was little change to the cyclone's predicted path as it made landfall later tonight around Cape Flattery and Hope Vale.
Hope Vale mayor Greg McLean said a number of trees had already been torn down in the township, but the town was still bracing for the brunt of the cyclone.
"We've seen a couple of trees get uprooted already, and I'm sure there's a few more down the road," he said. "We can only wait to see what happens."
Wind gusts have reached 139km/h at Cape Flattery, with 76.4mm of rainfall recorded since 9am this morning.
7pm: Cyclone Ita continues to creep towards the Queensland coast, with winds reaching 124km/h at Cape Flattery ahead of its arrival.
It is currently 40km from the coast and 90km from Cooktown.
BOM senior forecaster Pradeep Singh said the Category 4 cyclone would cross the coast between 9pm and midnight, and was expected to weaken to a Category 3 system by 6am tomorrow.
"It reached its peak earlier in the day and then showed some deterioration. Some cyclones do that when they interact with the land, especially the smaller ones," he said.
"It will stay as a Category Four when it crosses the coast somewhere between 9pm and midnight and slow down a bit, and it will continue moving inland for the next 12 hours decreasing in intensity."
He said regions north of Cardwell were expected to receive up to 300mm of rain over the next 24 hours.
6.30pm: Virgin Australia has said no services will operate to or from Cairns before 9am tomorrow morning, and later services may be impacted.
"We apologise for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers is our highest priority," a statement from the company says.
"Our meteorologists are monitoring the cyclone closely, and liaising with the Bureau of Meteorology."
Flights to and from Townsville and other North Queensland airports are currently unaffected.
SMS your storm pictures to 0428 258 117.
6pm: Tropical Cyclone Ita was an estimated 105km north-northeast of Cooktown and 265km north of Cairns.
The ferocious system is travelling south southwest at about 12 kilometres per hour.
Cape Flattery is already enduring furious winds, with gusts of more than 125km per hour.
5.10pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has downgraded the cyclone threatening Queensland's northern coast to a Category 4 system.
As of 5pm, Ita was estimated to be 115 km north-northeast of Cooktown and 270km north of Cairns, moving south southwest at 13 km/h.
The latest BOM bulletin issued has warned of "very destructive" 275km/h winds near the core and gale-force winds extending 185 km/h from the centre.
Wind gusts in excess of 125 km/h are already occurring at Cape Flattery and will develop in other areas between Cape Melville and Cooktown throughout the evening, reaching south to Cape Tribulation overnight and potentially down to Port Douglas tomorrow morning.
Electricity is currently out for around 700 customers in Cooktown, with Ergon crews attempting to restore power before the weather turns too rough to continue patrols.
Locals Gavin Duck and partner Sharon as darkness fall in Cooktown. Source: News Corp Australia
5.05pm: The Cairns Regional Council has issued an evacuation notice for those residing in the 'red' and 'orange' storm tide inundation zones.
Those living inside the zones, estimated to be aboout 28,000 people, must evacuate now.
People with alternative accommodation with family or friends should move now.
Those who have no alternative shelter may use the cyclone shelters at at the Edmonton Leisure Centre on Walker Rd or the Redlynch State College shelter on Jungara Rd in Redlynch.
The Cairns Regional Council said the shelters should be a last resort for those without any alternative sanctuary.
4.45pm: WINDS have hit 111km/h at Cape Flattery, just off hurricane force.
4.40pm: THE wind is already "roaring" in Hope Vale with Mayor Greg McLean saying he's never seen anything like it.
Cr McLean said at about 4.30pm trees were already flattening under winds he estimated were about 80km/h.
"It's roaring here," he said.
"The trees are flattening out right in front of our eyes – nothing has been lifted yet but I have never seen wind like this before … we will probably see some things flying shortly."
He said about 800 people from the Indigenous community were now in the town's multipurpose centre, including all those who lived in homes built prior to 1985, with council staff and police door knocking residents to make sure they were safe.
It's estimated a few hundred residents are still in their homes.
Mr McLean said residents in the evacuation centre were comfortable and the Council was supplying food.
"It will be a sleepless night," he said.
4.30pm: A taskforce of 45 Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Urban Search and Rescue specialists is getting ready to fly to Cairns.
These firefighters, from the North Coast, Brisbane and South Eastern regions, will leave at 5.15pm and will be based in Cairns, deploying elsewhere across the north as required in coming days.
A further 45 firefighters will remain on standby in Brisbane.
Locals check on moored yatchs as darkness falls in Cooktown. Source: News Corp Australia
4.20pm: WIND is picking up outside the Lions Den Hotel, about 26km south of Cooktown, where only one brave woman remains.
Lyn Costello, a hotel staff member, has taken refuge on a mattress in the storeroom.
The hotel, which also has a popular camping site, was established in 1875 and Lyn joked she was its gatekeeper.
"I am the only one here at the moment," she said.
"We've closed the pub. I am just here to look after the place if anything happens."
Ms Costello said she usually lived in a tent next door to the Den so she was incredibly grateful to be in the hotel.
The rest of the staff have moved to safety in Kuranda
She said about 4pm there was some small twigs on the ground but nothing worse yet.
"We are just starting to get a bit of wind now - it's only about 100 and something kilometres away," she said.
"It's all going good so far.
"Maybe later on tonight if the pub does start to come to bits - I have got plenty of sleeping bags - I'll just hover in the cold room or something."
3.35pm: CYCLONE Ita has the potential to claim lives and is expected to cross the coast between 10pm and midnight.
Authorities are also preparing for a storm surge and major flooding, with storm force winds already recorded at the Lizard Island weather station.
Police, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Jack Dempsey warned Cyclone Ita was "an extreme event''.
"It has the possibilities to take lives and the potential to damage severely property in the north Queensland area," he said.
"We are also planning for the worst-case scenario of a tidal surge of between 1.5 and 2 metres.
"This is the worst case scenario and I ask people to prepare with that in mind.
"I am asking all Queenslanders at this time to work together, to look after their mates and ensure the most vulnerable citizens in our community are also cared for.''
Mr Dempsey urged people to stay in contact with loved ones in affected areas.
Bureau of Meteorology acting regional director Richard Wardle said the Category 5 Cyclone was expected to make landfall between Cape Melville and Cooktown sometime between 10pm and midnight.
"More towards Cooktown in the Cape Flattery area,'' he said.
"The forecast landfall time is of course based obviously on the path it takes and how quickly it moves and we're seeing the system move quickly towards, or move more rapidly towards the coast.
"Quite often we see these systems, once they start to feel the coast on their western flank, start to slow down or perhaps turn slightly."
Machans Beach residents Lorna Newton and Emily Gray sandbag their beachfront home in preparation for Cyclone Ita. Source: News Corp Australia
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Lee Johnson said police, fire and emergency services had done all the necessary preparation and planning, with a further 45 urban search and rescue firefighters heading to Cairns this afternoon in case they were needed.
Mr Johnson said Cyclone Ita was likely to still cross at Category 5 and it was important for people to understand that once winds reached a certain point emergency services would be unable to respond them.
"There will be a point where we will also have to seek shelter and shut down,'' Mr Johnson said.
"That's why it's important for people to make sure they're in their place of safety sooner rather than later and not as the Minister said, to take last minute risks or do fool-hardy things.
"It is very important to note that there will definitely be a point where our services will not be able respond, it will be unsafe for them to do so and we will have to wait until conditions abate to survey and if necessary tend to people.''
3.10pm: Cyclone Ita is starting to make her presence felt, with winds at Cape Flattery touching on 100km/hr.
2.25pm: Douglas Shire Council mayor Julia Leu said hundreds of houses were expected to go under when the storm tide surge from Cyclone Ita hits the town.
She said the Douglas Local Disaster Management Group met today to discuss the potential impact of the Category 5 cyclone.
''I suppose the worst case scenario for us is the storm surge that would possibly affect hundreds of properties in our low-lying areas, particularly around Port Douglas,'' she said.
''But it all depends on when the cyclone crosses, where it crosses and at what time it crosses in terms of the tides.
''We are probably expecting perhaps around 200 properties that would experience some sort of flooding.''
Residents of far north Queensland prepare as Cyclone Ita approaches the land. Courtesy: Channel 10
The town is also expected to receive 600mm of rain over the next 48 hours.
Ms Leu said people should seek shelter with friends and family or, as a last resort, at the Port Douglas Storm Tide Cyclone Shelter.
Once people are there and once the winds really kick up, the doors will be closed and they won't be opened again until the next morning.
Port Douglas residents were also urged to look out for their neighbours - particularly the sick or elderly.
2.15pm: North Queenslanders have been warned to prepare for a worst-case scenario that could see storm surges hit more populated areas like Cairns.
The warning came as weather bureau projections indicated the category five storm was expected to make landfall near Cooktown, north of the Daintree, on Friday night.
But Queensland Premier Campbell Newman says dangerous storm surges could hit more densely populated areas, adding the effects of Ita could even head south and hit Cairns.
``If the track changes, then we could see more significant impacts along the coast from Cooktown all the way through to Cairns and also probably further south,'' Mr Newman told reporters in Cairns.
``People should be concerned if the track changes down the coast for a storm surge.''
Mr Newman said the surge could be about 1.5-2 metres higher than normal high tides.
Cairns Regional Council had since advised residents in low lying areas to self-evacuate, even though no public shelters were yet open.
The premier said residents in Cooktown and Hope Vale - both in Ita's sights - should have already evacuated to cyclone shelters if they were in houses built before 1985.
The State Disaster Coordination Centre (SDCC) in operation today, in preparation for Tropical Cyclone Ita. Courtesy: QFES
2pm: Cooktown Hospital spokeswoman Rebecca Buldo said they wanted to stress to the public they were unable to accept more patients unless it was an emergency.
"We have normal staff rosters for today, but we've sent a lot of local patients back to their homes," Ms Buldo said.
"We still have a couple of in-house patients and a small number of staff will be staying on overnight.
"The geographical location of their homes has meant that it is too dangerous to travel and they will be offering support to the hospital while they are here."
Ms Buldo said there were no plans to evacuate patients and at this late stage it was too risky, anyway.
1.45pm: Weather Bureau forecasters expect Cyclone Ita's most damaging winds - to 300km/hr- to cover a core area of just 15km.
Michael Czarnecki at the Cooktown evacuation centre.
It will then have a band of winds to about 125km/hr about 50km out from its centre.
Past that point will be galeforce winds to about 70km/hr.
Forecaster Michelle Berry said although Ita was more intense than Yasi, it covered a much smaller area.
Yasi's band of destructive winds covered 120km compared with 50km for Ita.
The concentrated nature of Ita could save communities like Cooktown on its outer edge from the storm's most extreme conditions.
If Cape York residents get lucky, the super storm's intense and damaging eye might barrel through undeveloped areas.
1.24pm: Restaurant owner Henry Johnston spent the morning taping the windows on his business Seabean.
Mr Johnston - whose home near Mossman survived Cyclone Yasi - said he was far more concerned about Ita than any other cyclone he'd experienced.
"The last couple of days there has been hardly any bird noises,'' he said.
"And that is really, really eerie.''
Cooktown residents have left their homes to seek shelter in an evacuation centre.
1.10pm: Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas manager Clare Anderson said they had spent several days securing or moving the zoo's 1000 animals.
She said they had already noticed unusual animal activity ahead of Cyclone Ita's arrival, with most of the wild birds that frequent the park's habitats missing.
Staff also noticed green ants abandoning the trees and moving indoors several days ago.
Ms Anderson said many of the park's animals had been moved indoors while others would have to find shelter in their enclosures.
"We started preparing early in the week,'' she said.
"A lot of it has involved back of house preparation. All the tools and wheelbarrows had to be moved inside.
"Animals have been taken out of enclosures and into cyclone-rated buildings.''
Ms Anderson said the park's fences were secure but there were concerns animals could use fallen debris to climb out and escape. She said those animals had been moved indoors.
"We haven't been able to get everything inside but we do have some endangered species that we've had to secure,'' she said.
"We have the only breeding pair of Black-Necked Stalks in captivity anywhere in the world, so they've been caught and secured in a steel cage that would survive anything.''
Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas' resident male crocodile - a 4.2m, 380kg animal named Babinda - remained in his enclosure, unconcerned by the approaching storm.
Tourists ride their skateboards through pools of water formed by heavy rain before Cyclone Ita makes landfall. Source: Getty Images
12.20pm: Cyclone Ita is now stronger than Cyclone Yasi, which tore apart Mission Beach and Cardwell in 2011.
Weather Bureau chief Rob Webb said Yasi was at the lower end of a category 5 scale. While Ita was more powerful, it was covering a much smaller area.
"While the strongest winds are focussed near the centre, the warning area for tropical cyclones of this intensity is quite broad with destructive winds, heavy rainfall possibly leading to flash flooding, and coastal inundation due to storm surge all posing a threat,'' he said.
"Residents in the coastal warning zone are warned of a dangerous storm tide as the cyclone crosses the coast. Tides will be significantly higher than normal, with flooding of low lying areas likely.''
University of Melbourne Associate Professor Kevin Walsh, a past president of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, said it had to be emphasised that the main potential for damage in severe tropical cyclones was coastal flooding from the storm tide.
"The influx of sea water, driven by strong winds and accompanied by high waves, is something that the bureau is specifically warning coastal residents to be prepared for, and to evacuate if advised to do so,'' he said.
Latest forecasts have deadly Cyclone Ita crossing the coast, then crossing back out to sea and reforming.
Weather Bureau forecasters expect it to veer into the Coral Sea, possibly between Cardwell and Innisfail about Sunday with it having a good chance of reforming early next week.
It is too far out to make any firm conclusions about its strength and path but atmospheric conditions then will make it far more difficult for it to reform into another major storm.
Innisfail and Cardwell residents, hit hard by cyclone Yasi two years ago, are being warned to consider what action they will need to take if the cyclone threat increases.
12.15pm: Port Douglas will open an evacuation centre ahead of massive tides expected to inundate the town's foreshore.
from 2pm but residents have been warned to use it only as a last resort.
The Port Douglas Storm Tide Cyclone Centre will open at 2pm at the Port Douglas State School.
Residents have been asked to use it only as a last resort.
Information released by the Douglas Shire Council directed residents to the council's website where storm tide surge maps have been posted.
"Anyone at risk of storm tide surge should first seek shelter with friends or family or utilise tourist accommodation not in the storm tide surge zone,'' the council warned.
The shelter can hold up to 700 people. Pets will not be allowed in and there are no cooking facilities.
"The Port Douglas Storm Tide Cyclone Centre is for those at risk of storm surge inundation who have nowhere else to go,'' the warning reads.
"Once the authorities close the doors of the Port Douglas Storm Tide Cyclone Shelter, no one will be allowed to enter or leave until police give the authority to do so.''
12pm: Tin roofing on some of the 250 older buildings in Cooktown, built to pre-1985 building regulations, would be lifted and become flying debris in 100km/h winds.
"No-one should be out on the streets in that," the Cooktown disaster group was told.
"There is a high risk of getting cut in half by flying sheets of iron."
Vehicles are likely to be rolled and lifted in winds exceeding 200km/h.
The "great unknown'' is the devastating havoc that 300km/h winds will wreak on top of a 2m-high storm surge, 10m-high waves, a high tide and flash flooding predicted in the Endeavour River.
This satellite image obtained courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Observatory (NOAA) shows Severe Tropical Cyclone along the far north Queensland Coast. Picture: AFP PHOTO / NOAA Source: AFP
The last and only cyclone of this extremely destructive force was Cyclone Mahina in 1899 when a 14.6m tsunami swept 5km inland as it made landfall in almost the same predicted track of Cyclone Ita near Cape Melville.
Locals say 307 victims were buried in the same pit, with a plaque of their names at Cape Melville, in the nation's worst natural disaster in terms of loss of life.
More than 50 pearling luggers and schooners were destroyed and dolphins were found stranded more than 15m up on cliffs.
Note: Earlier reporting has been truncated from this rolling report.
