Collection of five photographs, mounted on card and showing various devastated buildings. The printed inscriptions read 'A E Urry, Townsville. Gold medal and nine first prizes, Exhibition 1899-90' (sic).

The north-eastern coast of Queensland is the most susceptible part of Australia to cyclones, which run down from the north-east tropics, particularly in spring and early summer. The coastline between Townsville and Cooktown is especially prone: three major cyclones, in the last third of the nineteenth century when records began, in 1867, 1870 and 1896 caused great devastation in Townsville, and the damage, as these photographs record, almost completely destroyed the town. The storm was the 'Leonta' cyclone, which struck Townsville on 9th March 1903.