The morning after: Pictures show aftermath of Cyclone Debbie

IT’S the morning after 263km/h winds hit North Queensland — these new pictures show the damage Cyclone Debbie has left in it’s wake.

IT’S the morning after and only now that the full devastation of Cyclone Debbie is being realised.

New photos show boats once firmly moored at Shute Harbour near Airlie Beach washed ashore and onto wharves. The marina that serves as the gateway to Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands has been devastated by Cyclone Debbie.

Boatmen and women looked on in disbelief on Wednesday morning as they surveyed the damage at Shute Harbour — the country’s second biggest ferry terminal.

Piers have been destroyed and pushed up onto the bank, while sails attached to the main building have been torn to shreds.

Boat owner James Wighton says he’s never seen such “devastation”. “This is millions of dollars worth of infrastructure,” he told AAP. Mr Wighton also woke to the news that his uninsured trimaran was destroyed by the category 4 cyclone as it lashed the north Queensland coast on Tuesday. “Mine is still on its mooring. But it’s upside down,” he said. Mr Wighton flew from the Sunshine Coast to moor his boat, which he has kept at Shute Harbour for the past 11 years.

The former Airlie Beach resident said Cyclone Debbie was far worse than Aivu, which hit between Townsville and Bowen in 1989.

“It wasn’t nearly as severe as this,” he said.

A boat is seen smashed against the bank at Shute Harbour, Airlie Beach after the cyclone hit yesterday. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

A plane flipped at Bowen Airport during the cyclone. Picture: AAP Image/Sarah Motherwell

RELATED: Destruction caused by Cyclone Debbie revealed on Wednesday morning

Townsville Bulletin photographer Alix Sweeney took the following photo of a cockatoo that had been battered by the cyclone’s winds. After rescuing her, Sweeney dubbed her ‘Debbie’ and is making a recovery in her motel room as she waits for professional care.

"Debbie" is now on the mend. Picture: Townsville Bulletin

This helpless cockatoo was pictured battered after the storm. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Bradley Mitchell inspects the damage to his uncle's boat after it smashed against the bank at Shute Harbour near Airlie Beach. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

Bradley Mitchell was also out on the road early on Wednesday to check on his family’s three boats.

Two of them were shifted by the high winds, but his uncle’s was slammed up into the mangroves. Mr Mitchell reckons that’s a good result, all things considered. “When it hit we thought we lost all three,” he told AAP.

The Airlie Beach resident said enduring Debbie’s might had been a “hectic” experience.

“It was a very scary one. I don’t want to go through another one like it.” Mr Mitchell believes the clean-up bill from Debbie is likely to top that of Cyclone Yasi in 2011, even though Tuesday’s tempest was a category four, and Yasi was a five.

Click through the gallery below for our full photographic coverage:

Destruction of Cyclone Debbie: In pictures

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A boat is seen smashed against the bank at Shute Harbour, Airlie Beach. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

RELATED: Hamilton Island a mess after Cyclone Debbie’s 262km/h winds

A building in Mackay is pictured before and during Cyclone Debbie. Pic Annette Dew

A house in Airlie Beach is left with a gapping hole and a tree on the roof during Cyclone Debbie. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Local council worker Brian Doyle inspects damage at Shute Harbour, Airlie Beach, Wednesday, March 29, 2017. Cyclone Debbie has hit Queensland's far north coast yesterday as a category 4 cyclone, causing wide spread damage. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

Boats are seen smashed against a bank at Shute Harbour, Airlie Beach, Wednesday, March 29, 2017. Cyclone Debbie has hit Queensland's far north coast yesterday as a category 4 cyclone, causing wide spread damage. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

Tree down in at Mackay outside the ABC building. Pic Annette Dew

Damage seen in the town of Bowen, Queensland, Wednesday, March 29, 2017. The coastal Queensland town of Bowen has found itself largely intact in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Debbie. Picture: AAP Image/Sarah Motherwell

Cars are seen on a tree covered road at 1pm Tuesday March 28.

Trees stripped bare, Airlie Beach wakes to a post Cyclone Debbie world. Photographer: Liam Kidston

Main street of Airlie Beach on Wednesday 29 March 2017. Photographer: Liam Kidston

Strong winds and rain lash Airlie Beach, Tuesday, March 28, 2017. Cyclone Debbie is expected to hit Queensland's far north coast as a category 4 cyclone early afternoon today. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

Originally published as The morning after: Pictures show aftermath of Cyclone Debbie