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Cyclone Fina (2025)

Recovery works updates - 15 January 2025. 

City of Darwin has made significant progress in assessing the damage to City of Darwin assets sustained from Tropical Cyclone Fina.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Which City of Darwin facilities are open?  

Open facilities:   

  • Community Centres – Lyons (from Saturday 24 January), Nightcliff, Malak,  

  • Parks: Garamanuk Park, Sunset Park, Civic Park, Bicentennial Park, the Fannie Bay Foreshore, and Nightcliff Foreshore  

  • Walkways – except Walkway 121, between Aldridge Place and Milner Street.   

  • Dog parks: Alawa, Bundilla and Muirhead.  

  • Pools  

  • Civic Centre  

  • Libraries   

  • Carparks - West Lane and Dragonfly   

  • Pound  

  • Reviva Reuse Shop at Shoal Bay  

  • Public toilets (excluding Alawa Oval public toilets)  

  • Childcare centres  

  • Darwin General Cemetery   

Closed until further notice  

  • Ovals, parks and reserves remain closed until further notice 

  • Restricted opening for sports clubs has commenced at Gardens, Nightcliff, Jingili, Kahlin and Fannie Bay Ovals but they remain closed to the general public. 

  • Cemeteries - Darwin Chinese Memorial Cemetery and Palmerston Cemetery. 

When will mowing of parks, open spaces and ovals commence?  

Before City of Darwin is able to restore a site to the regular mowing schedule, it has to be assessed and cleared from all other cyclone impacts. 

As of 13 January, 358 of 363 sites are back on a regular mowing schedule, except the following five parks: East Point Reserve, Que Noy Park, Jingili Water Gardens, Yanyula Park and the Lee Point Buffer Zone.   

We are still working hard to assess and clear these areas before mowing schedules can be restored.   

Where do I take my green waste?  

Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility is open for general waste and green waste collection. 

Hidden Valley green waste site Is no longer open to the public for green waste collection.  

From 23 January 2026 to 8 February 2026, free post-cyclone mulch will be available to take away at the Hidden Valley green waste site. 
The site will be open from 7am to 6pm daily, however it will be closed on 26 January 2026. 

Kerbside bin collections - Recycling and general waste kerbside bin collections are operating as normal 

What if a tree on council land has fallen within a residents’ property boundary causing damaged. Who pays for the damage?  

Residents are responsible for managing any damage within their property. City of Darwin crews will only clear debris up to the property boundary and cannot enter private land. Residents may submit an insurance claim later if they believe the City of Darwin is at fault. 

Why are there so many tree stumps left behind after clearing is done? 

To ensure our teams could assess and clear as many areas as fast as possible after Cyclone Fina hit, we have completed tree clearing work in many instances without removing the tree stump. 

While removal of the damaged and hazardous sections of the trees was a high priority, the job of removing the stumps is extensive. 

Stumps will be removed progressively as the contractor works through the priority list in the most efficient way possible, prioritising stumps that have created hazards (large holes, damage to footpaths and kerbs etc). 

There are 1,203 stumps identified for removal on verges as at 13 January 2026. 

We thank the community for their patience as we undertake the task of plucking and grinding all these stumps, beginning with those on verges and then moving on to those in our parklands. 

How long will the Cyclone Fina clean-up take?  

Cyclone Fina was a Category 3 cyclone and the biggest cyclone since Cyclone Tracy.  City of Darwin manages around 90% of roads in Darwin and is a relatively small team.   
Our staff and contractors are working through prioritised systems, which include clearing green waste from:  

  • 128 playgrounds. 

  • 19 sporting grounds and ovals  

  • 221 parks and green spaces  

  • 475 km of roads  

  • 730 footpaths and walkways  

Phase One: Initial Three-Month Recovery  

City of Darwin’s dedicated recovery team are working at full capacity to assess and restore essential services during this initial phase, focused on the highest-risk and highest-use areas, clearing fallen trees and debris from priority areas including:   

  • Roads  

  • Infrastructure repairs   

  • Mowing grass on verges, ovals, parks and reserves  

  • Final clearing of verges  

It is important to note that progress is also highly weather dependent during this phase, with recent storms causing additional trees to fall, some in locations that had already been cleared, requiring reassessment and contributing to delays. Crews are working continuously while monitoring the evolving forecast to ensure work is undertaken safely.  

Phase Two Recovery   

Once City of Darwin’s dedicated team are confident that these priority areas are safe and operational for the community, wider recovery work will commence. This second phase will be prioritised as follows:  

  • Infrastructure repairs 

  • Final clearing of verges   

Did City of Darwin have a cyclone response plan? 

City of Darwin has a comprehensive cyclone plan supported by detailed subplans across all areas of our operations. 

It rained a lot over the Christmas and New Year break, has this delayed the initial three-month recovery phase? 

Ongoing wet weather continues to compromise trees, including some in previously cleared locations, requiring further reassessment and contributing to delays. 

Are there any high-risk areas the community should be aware of? 

City of Darwin has installed barriers and temporary fencing in high-risk areas and parks will remain closed until works by crews and green waste contractors are completed.  

All available resources are being directed to these high-risk areas, which means that clean-up and recovery work in lower-risk areas will be postponed until conditions improve.  

What advice do you give the community to ensure they are safe during this clean-up period? 

All parks remain closed, and extra measures are in place in high-risk areas to protect the community.   
  
City of Darwin asks that the community please remain cautious around trees, avoid restricted areas for your safety and follow all relevant signage to help keep everyone safe.  

We will continue to reassess high-risk areas and will share updates as soon as they become available. 

 

Media Releases

Find all Cyclone Fina media releases on the News page. 

 

Useful Links

 

cyclone clean up

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