Queensland
Tropical Cyclone Sigma caused destruction from Townsville to Brisbane between 24–27 January 1896. 18 people were killed, most of whom lost their lives when a storm surge caused a breach of the Ross River on 26 January, travelling 3 miles upstream, and flooding parts of Townsville to a depth of 2 metres.
Cyclone Mahina, in March 1899, resulted in the greatest death toll of any natural disaster in Australian history. Over 400 people lost their lives. The storm decimated a pearling fleet at Bathurst Bay in Queensland and deaths included the crews of around 100 vessels and an estimated 100 local aboriginals, who were swept out to sea while trying to save shipwrecked crew.
Two of the country's strongest cyclones occurred on the North Queensland coast in 1918. The Mackay Cyclone struck Mackay and surrounding regions in late January 1918, in addition to a devastating storm surge and extensive flooding. A Category 4 cyclone with barometric pressure at the eye as low as 933 hPa, Mackay and Rockhampton experienced the death of some 30 people, hundreds of injuries, and $60 million damage. Of the approximate 1400 homes in the Mackay township, 1300 were destroyed or severely damaged.
10 March 1918 saw an even stronger cyclone and storm surge cross the coast at Innisfail, with further desolation at Cairns, Babinda, and on the Atherton Tableland. Barometric pressure measured from outside the cyclone eye was recorded at 926 hPa. Estimates based on height of the storm surge suggest the 1918 Innisfail Cyclone was a "super typhoon" with pressures below 900 hpa at the eye, however recording equipment at the storm centre was badly damaged so an accurate minimum could not be obtained. 37 people perished in the township of Innisfail, with a further 40-60 Aboriginals estimated to have died in outlying areas. With a population of 3,500, Innisfail saw only 12 houses remain unscathed.
A Cyclone in Northern Queensland killed 99 people over two days in mid March 1934.
The Gold Coast Cyclone struck the Gold Coast on 20 February 1954. Four people were killed during the cyclone, while a further 22 died in the resulting floods around Lismore in Northern New South Wales.
Read more about this topic: Severe Storms In Australia