When opener Kraigg Brathwaite fell without scoring off the 11th ball of the day, caught and bowled by Josh Hazlewood, it was just the tonic the tourists needed.
And when Keacy Carty was dismissed by Pat Cummins, also caught and bowled, for six in the ninth over, it seemed the Aussie attack was about to inflict serious damage.
It was a magnificent moment for the Australia captain, the ball hanging in the air for a seeming eternity before it began to fall to where a bat pad would have been.
Cummins made ground in his follow through and timed his dive perfectly to complete the catch.
It got even better when John Campbell, the other opener, was sent back to the pavilion, caught by Mitchell Starc off Beau Webster after a brisk 40 that included five boundaries.
Left-hander Campbell tried to loft over the leg side but could only lob the ball high into the air and straight down the throat of Starc at mid-on.
West Indies stood on a fragile-looking 3-64.
But then the home side steadied, losing no more wickets before reaching lunch on 3-110 from 28 overs. Brandon King (39) and Roston Chase (16) Â steadied the West Indies with a 46-run fourth-wicket stand.
It is a pivotal match for the Australians, who have set their sights on a victory that would give them an unassailable 2-0 series advantage.
They spent the entire first day compiling a first-innings of 286 after Cummins won the toss and inserted his side.
Webster and Alex Carey contributed half centuries but Australia were constrained by Alzarri Joseph's 4-61.
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