We have been in Exmouth for a few months now and are loving it, however it seems that this low is going to be a cat 1 cyclone when we wake up . It's still 900kms away ,and having been here before in cyclone season this time everyone is going all out to prepare , as you do.
A couple of mates who have been here almost 18 yrs have gone into big time lock down!!.We are as prepared as we can be except for the fact that the plunge pool in our house is only half built
and the shed isn't clad
.
Oh well, the pool will fill up and my dirt might wash away
.
Swell was up today near the lighthouse but I had to work, faaaark
Tomorrow is looking good for a few hours in the morning , provided the wind plays the game( not holding my breath).
Still wondering what to do with the boat(maybe fill with water and tie down to the carport, the caravan is not so east , might have to head inland to Tom Price if there are no offers of someone elses shed (still on the cards),
Anyone sat through a cat 3 ???
There is talk it coud get to that.
Enough said, we have plenty of food , water and an ample supply of amber fluid and spirits to get us through the next week or so!
As I said, who has been through one of these??? and should I keep my earplugs handy to keep out the noise
,
i know they are bad,yet i would love to sit through a big cyclone
hope nothing bad happens to anyone and you can enjoy the show
there is no truth in the rumor that after a cat 3 i was found in the fetal position sucking my thumb
Maybe big star pickets driven in on a 30 degree angle on either side of whatever you need to hold down with ropes over the the top .
Better than nothing , and surprisingly strong If you put enough in and belt them in heeps .
Just a thought never had to test it personally .
Best of luck to you Cassa , hope all goes well for you!
and the shed isn't clad ..
If you have the chance stock up on essentials Milk bread beer water.
Grab your never want to lose items and stash them some where safe, eg i use my camper trailer and lock it down.
Dont worry about earplugs
all the best
Thanks for the reply's guys,
Anchor points are a definite , when the house starts, in the carport, and out the front.
The beer is there for - shall I say just in case, I Never drink on the boat , so during a cyclone , when it's over maybe a few, cause going to , work wont be an issue
star pickets , na they will probably bend or , well just not substantial,
the camera will be close don't worry about that
ear plugs get used every night , because of all the bloody birds, and mungbeans up the street(but thats another story)
Will post some before and after pics of the pool , shed and house pad if tommorrow is not too late (am sure it wont be ,got to go to an AUSSI DAY BBQ!!!
cheers , gents & ladies
Edit -- insurance for everything is up to date
isolate any gas appliances , pull the plugs of all electrical appliances ('cept the fridge) get an emergency pack together (food blankets water) know where the town emergency muster point is & charge your mobile(s) may not have the landline for long.
As all the others have said - Hope it goes down ok for your family mate.
Earplugs are must if it is safe to sleep, noise at night sounds a lot worse than it really is.
Yasi kept me awake all night listening to the wind rattle the gutters, The next day I sat out the back verandah, same wind strength, same noise but not a problem in the world, Its just wind, it makes noise, everthing was secure and nothing to worry about,
The crap that goes through your head when lying in bed listnening to it creates fear in itself.
Next time, plugs in, good night!
Here's the way things are now,will be a couple of days before anything happens.
Faced west and asked huey for light sou easter, but got building nor wester, oh well , off we go for BBQ breaky in town, then some home brews
Have a great Australia Day everyone!!!!!
Cassa, I hope those photos were taken before you cleaned up. Looks like there are plenty of potential missiles there (in the background).
Unless you are sure the wind can't pick it up, put it away or tie it down.
Esp. the sheeting/off cuts for your shed.....
Don't bother us with your petty problems. We've got serious stuff happening here. Flysurfer had his bycylce bent by a postie!
cassa that is some scary prediction....tracy was a 5 was she not?
No she was a 4 going on 3
"Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974. It is the most compact cyclone or equivalent-strength hurricane on record in the Australian basin, with gale-force winds extending only 48 kilometres (30 mi) from the centre and was the most compact system worldwide until 2008 when Tropical Storm Marco of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season broke the record, with gale-force winds extending only 19 kilometres (12 mi) from the centre.[1][2] After forming over the Arafura Sea, the storm moved southwards and affected the city with Category 4 winds on the Australian cyclone intensity scale, while there is evidence to suggest that it had reached Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale when it made landfall.[3]"
Link= en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy
What are you going to do?
FYI
Categories
Australian tropical cyclone categories based on Australian Bureau of Meteorology data:
Category 1 with strongest wind gust measured at less than 125 kilometres per hour. Usually causes minimal house damage but may cause damage to some crops, trees and caravans and water craft may drag mooings.
Category 2 with strongest wind gust measured at 125-170km/h. May cause minor house damage but significant damage to signs, trees and caravans, and heavy damage to some crops. There may be risk of power failure and small craft my break moorings.
Category 3 with strongest wind gust measured at 170-225km/h. May cause roof and structural damage, destroy caravans, cause power failure.
Category 4 with strongest wind gust measured at 225-280km/h. May cause significant roofing loss and structural damage, dangerous airborne debris, widespread power failure.
Category 5 with strongest wind gust at more than 280km/h. Extremely dangerous and causing widespread destruction.
I went to Exmouth once.
Couldn't work out if a cyclone had just been through the place or if it was supposed to look like that.
It is the goats I am most worried about, who is going to look after the goats ?
Hmm,.. It's not looking too flash for Exmouth if it follows that path.
The last cyclone was back in March 1999 and it totally trashed the coral reefs all the way down to Coral Bay, even though it slid down inside the gulf. They took years to even partially recover and it's only been the last three or four years that they have looked half reasonable.
From all that red dirt in your photo it looks like you're near the marina.
I hope they got the levels right so it doesn't get flooded when another cyclone slides down the gulf. Maybe they thought Vance was the one in a hundred year event so they had another 90 safe years before the next one.
I'm probably wrong but from the map it also looks possible that it could slide down the coast and come in much further South, like here in Perth.
Now that would be serious! 
We haven't had one since March '78 when cyclone Alby came through,.. and took part of my roof. 
That was exciting.
They are supposed to be a once in 25 year event in Perth so we're long overdue for one. I thought we were getting one last year but it turned out to be just wind. And some great waves. ( or was that the year before?)
^^^If it goes back out to sea, there is a good chance of re-itensifying due the to warm ocean surface temperature being generated by the hot spell down in Perth.
I wouldn't be suprised to see this come down to Gero way.
