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Australia is just eight runs shy of a first-innings lead over South Africa after just one session of batting late on an entertaining first day of the series-opening Test at the Gabba.
Fifteen wickets fell on day one in Brisbane, with South Africa rolled for just 152 after being sent in to bat on a green-tinged pitch, before the tourists hit back, taking three wickets early in the final session and two just on the stroke of stumps.
Those early wickets included David Warner off the first ball of the innings, as well as Australian top-scorers for 2022 Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne.
Warner was dismissed for the second golden duck of his Test career — and first time he has fallen on the opening ball of an innings — thanks to a vicious bouncer from Kagiso Rabada and a superb catch taken above his head at bat-pad by Khaya Zondo.
Labuschagne (11) nicked off to giant seamer Marco Jansen's first ball, before Khawaja (11) copped a stunning ball from speedster Nortje, which jagged in and bounced to catch the edge, where it was taken by sub-fielder Simon Harmer at third slip.
But Travis Head (78* off 77 balls) and Steve Smith (36) weathered the storm and upped the scoring rate to almost match South Africa's total inside 34 overs, reaching 5-142 by stumps.
Head passed 50 for the third time in as many Tests this summer, doing so at better than a run a ball despite a typically shaky start to his innings, having come in at 3-27.
Smith, meanwhile, was more watchful for his 36 off 68 before chopping on off Nortje's bowling in the penultimate over of the day, bringing to the crease night watchman Scott Boland.
He struggled mightily in his four-ball stay, nicking off to Rabada to bring an end to the day's play.
South Africa's approach of taking wickets in bunches echoed Australia's from earlier in the day, when the hosts took 4-27 and 6-27 either side of a battling 98-run partnership between Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne, validating captain Pat Cummins's decision to bowl first under overcast skies in Brisbane.
Mitchell Starc had skipper Dean Elgar edging behind on just 3, before Cummins and Scott Boland tore through the next three batters without a run being scored.
Rassie van der Dussen (5) was caught by Carey off the bowling of Cummins, while Boland accounted for opener Sarel Erwee (10) and Khaya Zondo (0) in the next over.
All three fell with the score on 27 — leaving South Africa in an eerily similar position to how England found themselves in last year's Ashes Test at the same venue when they were 4-29, only went on to make 147, and eventually lost the game by nine wickets.
Only Bavuma and wicketkeeper Verreynne's face-saving partnership showed real resistance, with the final six wickets falling in 14 overs after Bavuma (38) inside-edged Starc onto his own stumps for 38 early in the second session.
Keshav Maharaj added just 2 before being caught well at second slip by Steve Smith off Starc, leaving the big left-armer just one wicket shy of becoming the seventh Australian to claim 300 Test scalps.
Lyon cleaned up the tail, getting Verreynne for 64 and Nortje for a seven-ball duck, before Cummins removed Lungi Ngidi for 3 to end the innings on the stroke of tea, setting up the explosive final session.