Summary
Helen was the eighth tropical cyclone of the 1973/74 season to develop in the Western Australian Region; and it was the fifth to have some direct effect on the Australian continent. Although it did not recurve to cross the Australian coast, for about 60 hours it continually nosed that threat as it moved approximately parallel to the coast some 130 km from it. The centre of the developing cyclone passed almost directly over two oil rigs, the Glomar Tasman and the Ocean Digger , operating on the Northwest Shelf about 250 km apart.
No reports of damage attributable to cyclone Helen were received. At its most intense Helen was well west of the continent and travelling westward.
For more details see the TC Helen Report (pdf).
Track and intensity
