Remote parts of the Northern Territory were being hit by gale-force winds on Sunday as a tropical cyclone closed in.
The Coburg Peninsula and Croker Island, north-east of Darwin, were experiencing heavy rain and winds of 110 km/h, with gusts expected to increase as Tropical Cyclone Grant moves closer.
The ABC reports that cyclone shelters have opened in remote communities in the cyclone's path.
Darwin is not in the direct path of the storm but the Bureau of Meteorology said the city was still likely to experience wild weather on Sunday night.
Darwin was devastated on Christmas Day in 1975 by Cyclone Tracy.
