Generators for Ayr and Home Hill

Cyclones pass close here. More than half of Ayr's 15 came within 50 km, and Home Hill's 4806 postcode counts the same 15. The strongest, Aivu, crossed in the Burdekin River delta near Home Hill on 4 April 1989. Gusts reached 200 km/h, and a 2.5 to 3 m storm surge in Upstart Bay destroyed many beachfront properties. The cane crop was hit, and power, phones, water and roads all had to be restored. Charlie had crossed Upstart Bay the year before, damaging cane with gusts estimated at 165 km/h.

Kirrily crossed near Rollingstone, north of Townsville, and still blew down the big screen at the Ayr drive-in. Koji, the most recent, crossed between Ayr and Bowen as a tropical low in January 2026 and dropped 101.4 mm on Ayr. That time only about 600 customers lost power, for two hours.

Burdekin Shire Council warns that cyclones nearly always cut the power, and that service stations can't pump fuel without backup power. Its disaster plan adds that frequent wet-season storms disrupt supply too. Town water at Ayr, Brandon, Home Hill, Alva and Mt Kelly comes from underground bores, and the shire has about 52 sewage pump stations.

A storm doesn't have to cross nearby, either. Debbie crossed the Whitsunday islands as a category 4 before making landfall near Airlie Beach in 2017, and damage to Ergon's network still reached north to the Burdekin. A generator keeps the fridge, freezer and fans going at home, and the right size keeps a pump, cool room or workshop running until the lines are fixed.

The Burdekin grows about a third of Australia's mangoes, along with vegetables, melons and cane for four sugar mills. If your place runs pumps or a cool room, size for those as well as the house:

• Fridge, lights, phones and a laptop: a 2 to 3.5 kVA inverter.
• Add the TV, microwave and fans: 3.5 to 5 kVA.
• When the kettle goes on: a power station rated higher than the wattage on its label, like the 3,600 W WC-BG3600, or a generator that can handle it.
• Most of the house, including a split system: 7 to 10 kVA petrol, or 8 to 12 kVA diesel for long runs.
• The whole house, including ducted air: 10 kVA and up, usually diesel.
• Bore and irrigation pumps started direct on line: allow about 3.6 kVA for every kW of motor.
• Cool room, shop or office: 10 to 20 kVA diesel.

Three phase sets suit sheds, workshops and pumps with three phase motors. Our Generator Finder works out your size in about a minute, or browse farm and rural generators.

Ergon's restoration plan after Kirrily had Home Hill waiting four to five days for power. Over a wait like that, the generator doesn't need to run every night. Our Welling & Crossley WC-P3200Si and WC-BG2000 bundle works in two shifts, and the pair costs less than buying the two separately.

The day shift goes to the 3.8 kVA inverter, which runs the kettle itself, handles the heavy jobs and recharges the power station. For the night shift, switch the generator off and the WC-BG2000 runs the fridge, fans and lights silently from 1,843 Wh. Need more in reserve? The WC-BG3600 puts out 3,600 W and holds 3,840 Wh. Compare every portable power station we sell.

A big wet can close the highway. In February 2025 the Burdekin reached 11.30 m at Inkerman Bridge and the Bruce Highway was cut at Plantation Park in Ayr. Trucks queued for up to 3 km either side of the river crossings, and helicopters moved stranded motorists and supplies. Order before November, test-run the generator at home, store fuel safely and start it once a month.

Most units up to 10 kVA ship free, and the rest are priced at checkout. Checkout prices are based on delivery to capital cities and major centres. If your address costs more to reach, we'll call before dispatch with the difference, and you can go ahead or cancel for a full refund. Orders ship from our store or direct from the supplier warehouse closest to you. Most are dispatched within 1 to 5 business days and arrive within 3 to 8 business days of ordering. Sets over about 1 tonne take 1 to 2 weeks to dispatch and need a forklift, crane or tractor forks on site to unload. We'll call before dispatch to confirm access, and on a farm the tractor forks can do the job.

Never feed the house by plugging a generator into a power point. Backfeeding is illegal and can kill line workers fixing the network. A licensed electrician fits a changeover switch and inlet so the generator runs your circuits safely. Here's how a changeover switch installation works. Run the generator in the open, never inside a closed shed or garage, and well away from doors and windows, because the exhaust can kill.