Image of a colour sketch of a heavily snow covered town of Hobart houses with water and mountains in the background in 1882

Graham, H. J. (Harold John), 1858-1929. (1882). Severe snow storm over Hobart [picture] / [H.J. Graham]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135529606

Black and white photo of houses and a car destroyed by a cyclone.

Dwyer, Alan, 1936-2017. (1974). Houses destroyed by Cyclone Tracy, Darwin, December, 1974 [picture] / Alan Dwyer. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148903303

A watercolour painting of several pockets of bushfires being blown by the wind with several kangaroos trying to escape them.

Strutt, William, 1825-1915. (1854). [Bush fires in the Moorabbin district] [picture] / W. Strutt. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-134768558

There are many stories of extreme weather and descriptions from those who survived the ordeals of droughts, bushfires, floods and cyclones in Australia.

Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin on Christmas Day, 25 December, 1974 and was described by Major General Alan Stretton:

In the early hours of Christmas morning, in the pitch black of night, in the ruins of their homes, in the torrential rain and the shrieking gale, families huddled together under beds, in cupboards and anywhere that gave them a chance of survival.

During disastrous weather humans must take shelter and fend off forces much greater than humans can bear. Australia is known for its extreme weather and there are countless photos documenting these disasters. Interviews like that of Major General Stretton can be researched and so can those of ordinary everyday people to give a better understanding of the impact of disastrous weather.

Activities

Disaster Strikes

Search the catalogue of the National Library of Australia or Trove to find accounts of disastrous weather.

Here are some examples to get you started:

After hearing or reading real-life accounts of disastrous weather, have students conduct a mock interview, and then make a creative response.

For the interview, they should:

  • prepare a set of questions and possible answers
  • record it as a video, making sure that both the reporter and the interviewee use appropriate body language, voice and gesture.

For the creative response, they could:

  • develop a series of visual images for each natural disaster using mixed media (for example, paint, crayons, ink, collage, newspaper cuttings, quotes from poems, maps, keywords)
  • create and perform a movement piece that expresses the emotional impact of a natural disaster using dance and music.

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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