the weather station that recorded a close shave pass...203kmh or so...did not though have the strongest part of the eyewall (which is at the very inner edge) pass over
so you cant say it was not CAT5 based on just that stations observations
Yeppoon and Rockhampton: the cyclone had already been over land for 12 hours prior to hitting those areas and so had already weakened to a CAT5 by the time it hit there..the fact it did the damage it did means it was far stronger where it first made landfall up the coast
the person in the article does not know what they are talking about