A group of European backpackers who came to Bowen to do farm work are among those taking shelter at the town's high school as Cyclone Debbie barrels towards the Queensland coast.
Two-thousand residents of Bowen have been told to evacuate, with fears the category 4 tropical cyclone will bring a devastating tidal surge to the region.
The backpackers, from England, Germany, France and Finland, said they felt relieved to be taking shelter at the high school.
"We're feeling a bit better now we're here," one of them said.
"We were feeling a bit panicky this morning, obviously we don't have family and friends here."
The backpackers had come to Bowen to extend their visas by performing farm work, and said they would remain in the region after the cyclone - if there's any work available.
The cyclone shelter at Bowen State High School is one of two in the Whitsundays, which is expected to be hit by Cyclone Debbie at 9am on Tuesday morning ahead of high tide at 9.44am.
Families with young children and a number of elderly people were also at the shelter, and most had food, water, pillows and blankets to see them through the night.
Bowen's shelter has room for just 800 but a police officer said they were not expecting it to fill up. Only a slow trickle of people had showed up to the shelter by late on Monday afternoon.
Ray Shannon, a Bowen resident of 25 years, said he went to the shelter after police told him to evacuate on Sunday afternoon.
Mr Shannon said the others in his block of units had mostly decided to stay.
"I don't think it would get flooded," he said.
"I want it (Cyclone Debbie) to go away, I want to go have a beer but I can't now."
Mr Shannon said he reckons the storm will have passed and he will be able to have one by Tuesday afternoon.
