Gladstone Gladstone was extensively damaged when the cyclone hit. Winds were estimated to have gusted up to 120 miles per hour as the cyclone passed over Gladstone, with the peak estimated to have occurred at around 1pm. There was substantial crop losses in the surrounding area including pawpaw crops in the
Yarwun-
Targinnie district and peanut crops in the
Mount Larcom district. Due to the cyclone, a
passenger train carrying 350 passengers was held at
Raglan, between Gladstone and Rockhampton, for 26 hours. During the stopover, groups of passengers had to regularly walk to the local store and hotel to for food supplies. As floodwaters in Raglan Creek rose nearby, the passengers and crew assisted the hotelkeeper at Raglan to move furniture to higher ground. During the extensive clean up, the Gladstone mayor criticised the condition of 30 tons of roofing iron which had been sent to Gladstone for cyclone repairs, describing the iron as "rusted and useless" as it had been exposed to the elements on inadequately-covered railway wagons.
Rockhampton The city of Rockhampton and adjacent coastal areas were extensively damaged when the cyclone made an unexpected northern turn back up the coast, once it had crossed near Gladstone. The estimated peak of the cyclone in Rockhampton was estimated to have been at 7pm when winds of up to 100 miles per hour were recorded, and the barometric pressure reached 28.56 inches of mercury (967 hectopascals) - the lowest to ever have been recorded in Rockhampton. Other parts of the local railway network to have been damaged during the cyclone included the line to
Ridgelands,
the line from Baralaba to Theodore, and
the line from Rannes to Thangool. The
Rockhampton Botanic Gardens sustained damage. Damage to the electricity network was extensive with flying iron and trees cutting down main power lines. Power supply began being progressively restored the day following the cyclone, with priority given to hospitals, water treatment plants and other essential services. The lack of auxiliary power at the hospital and the necessity of requiring volunteers to manually operate the machine prompted a public debate in the local press. Communities along the
Capricorn Coast, including
Yeppoon and
Emu Park, also sustained extensive damage during the cyclone. Dead cattle began washing up on the beaches along
Zilzie and Emu Park after the cyclone. Mass burials of the beasts took place at the end of each beach. Damage was also sustained at
Port Alma and the Rockhampton Harbour. The mining town of
Mount Morgan, south-west of Rockhampton, experienced strong winds and heavy rain, but the damage to the town was minimal compared to Rockhampton although some roofs were blown off buildings and some
verandas were damaged, including at the Avoca Hotel and Allen's Hotel at Tipperary Point. Many
crops in the area were lost, including a substantial
citrus crop from
Byfield.
Kalapa also felt the effects of the cyclone as it moved inland. Further west, strong winds and heavy rain were recorded at
Emerald and throughout the Central Highlands but no substantial damage was reported. The publication of Rockhampton's
daily newspaper was abandoned during the cyclone, and therefore there was no edition of
The Morning Bulletin issued on 3 March 1949. The Rockhampton Newspaper Co Pty Ltd issued an apology in the following day's edition, explaining that the decision not to publish had been owing to "unsurmountable difficulties". Local radio station
4RK remained on air during the cyclone but staff were forced to cover transmitting equipment with tents and had to tear up linoleum from the floor so it could be used to cover the generator when water began pouring through the roof. Despite the widespread damage and the substantial clean up that occurred following the cyclone, several scheduled events went ahead as planned in the weeks following, including the visit to Rockhampton by
Lord Rowallan, the
Chief Scout of the
Boy Scout Association, who attended several official events in the city, including a civic reception at
City Hall and a
Rotary Club luncheon. The
Communist Party of Australia also attempted to proceed with a scheduled open-air meeting in the city centre on 28 March 1949, which led to the infamous 1949 Rockhampton riot when around 1500 protestors gate-crashed the meeting and showered supporters with various projectiles including rotten eggs, rotten fruit,
flour bombs and
stink bombs before breaking through police cordons and assaulting party supporters.
Bundaberg/Maryborough The cyclone's wind was not felt further south in centres such as Bundaberg and Maryborough, although some trees were uprooted, and some homes damaged, including one in East Bundaberg where a young boy was killed when a tree fell on a family home. Several vessels damaged at
Hervey Bay due to rough seas. ==Casualties==