Alcohol sales spike as Darwin wets its whistle waiting out cyclone
What do you do when a massive cyclone is bearing down on you and you are powerless to do anything about it? You hit the pub.
As Cyclone Marcus ravaged Darwin, a tavern in the suburb of Nightcliff managed to keep power and suffered minimal damage which brought people inside the establishment.
The Beachfront Hotel in Nightcliff was full of patrons as the cyclone raged around them.
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The Beachfront Hotel in Nightcliff was full of patrons as the Cyclone Marcus raged around it, supplying locals with water, power and an ice cold beer to relieve some of the stress
Owner Guy Dunne said it was those who were trying to find some shelter and power NT News reported.
'People were obviously looking for supplies - water and ice were hot items,' he said.
The spike in sales for his business was just a positive side effect of having the means to supply the community in need.
He said the hotel was a crucial spot to keep power, allowing those most effected by the cyclone to gather and collect crucial supplies such as clean water.
'The real Territory spirit was on display, our staff was working hard and they had busy shifts, making sure people got what they needed,' he said.
Business was 'flat out' over the course of the day, Mr Dunne said he hadn't had a chance to go over the books but he suspected it was 'bigger than New Year's Eve
Business was 'flat out' over the course of the day, Mr Dunne said he hadn't had a chance to go over the books but he suspected it was 'bigger than New Year's Eve'.
The hotel was able to keep power and mostly escape the damage of Cyclone Marcus, only the fig tree and the toilets on the hotel grounds were damaged.
'Luckily it only fell onto our toilet block and not the main building,' he said.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Graeme King said a low moving over Torres Straight could develop into a potential cyclone
Darwin will be given little reprieve as meteorologists forecast another cyclone could touch down as soon as Thursday.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Graeme King told NT News that a low moving over Torres Straight could develop into a potential cyclone.
'We think the cyclone will have most impact over there (Arnhem Land) however we can’t preclude the western Top End experiencing something,' he said.