Dora made landfall on the eastern Gulf coast and devastated the Edward and Mitchell River missions on the 3rd. Trees over a wide area of western Cape York Peninsula were blown down or completely defoliated in winds of around 100 mph (87 knots). The eye passed directly over Rutland Plains which experienced a 3 hour calm and gave the eye diameter as 12 nm. The winds at Edward River Mission reached hurricane force E=lies at noon on the 3rd. These winds backed to the NW and maintained hurricane force before decreasing after midnight. At Mitchell River E=ly winds reached hurricane force at 3.30 pm on the 3rd thereafter veering to the SE and increasing in force. A near calm period was observed there between 8.30 pm and 10.30 pm after which the wind veered SW, then W, slackening in speed at 3.30 am on the 4th. Rutland Plains experienced destructive E=ly winds from 3pm to 10.30 pm on the 3rd with the strongest winds between 8pm and 10 pm. A complete calm then occurred until 1.30 am on the 4th after which W=ly winds of slightly less speed persisted until 6.30 am. Damage was reported as far north as Aurukun Mission, extending to Miranda Downs and Karumba in the south.- a strip almost 480 km in length. Maximum damage was a 130 km strip from near Edward River to the Nassua River. The Edward River Mission reported little damage 8km east of the mission- the strip was therefore very narrow in the north and widened to about 48 km in the south . In this maximum damage zone one quarter of the trees were blown down and those left standing were defoliated with major limb damage. At Wallaby Island at the mouth of the Mitchell River extensive and dense belts of Mangrove 10 metres high were completely destroyed and flattened like grass. The two mission stations and Rutland Plains all suffered severe damage. For the two mission stations the damage was estimated at 300,000 pounds(1964). Dora was accompanied by torrential rainfall over a long period. Example of large 24 hour totals were Yirrkala 248mm on the 1st, Edward River 197mm 4th, Croydon 368mm 5th, Mary Kathleen 228mm 7th, Disraeli 320mm 8th and Iffley 247 mm 9th. The Norman, Flinders, Leichhardt and Gregory experienced record floods with river levels in many instances breaking records. The total discharge was estimated at nearly double the average annual discharge of the Murray/Darling systems. The Norman River was 8 inches higher than the 1951 record at Normanton. A large storm surge came ashore with the cyclone - the Superintendent reported the sea came right over the beach ridge, a rise of approximately 18 feet. The beach was left strewn with many dead marine creatures like porpoises and sea snakes.

Rockhampton Regional Council in partnership with the Queensland a…