Cairns escapes full fury of cyclone

It was business as usual, almost, about 60 miles north of ground zero for one of the worst cyclones to hit Australia’s east coast in decades.

Packing winds of up to 180 mph, Tropical Cyclone Larry slammed into the coastal community of Innisfail in north-eastern Queensland early yesterday, uprooting trees, tearing roofs from houses and reducing wooden buildings to splinters.