Generators for Ingham

Yasi crossed near Mission Beach, north of Ingham, as a category 5 in February 2011, and was still at category 4 strength inside our 100 km circle around the town. Power and water in Ingham were cut and expected to stay off for several days, and that evening the Herbert peaked at 13.95 metres at the Ingham Pump Station. The Bruce Highway was cut at Ingham, holding up troops heading north and evacuees trying to get home.

Ita made landfall near Cape Flattery as a category 4 in April 2014. As it moved down the coast, Ingham police said rising floodwater had cut the town in half.

In February 2025 the Herbert reached 14.93 metres at the Ingham Pump Station, its fourth-highest peak on record. As the substation flooded, Ergon switched it off, cutting power to about 6,700 customers. It went off on Sunday 2 February and was re-energised on Thursday 6 February, and reconnection was staged after that.

Without power, the town had no way of making sure its water was safe to drink, and the Defence Force flew large generators into critical sites by Chinook. The substation's vital equipment has since been raised above the 2025 flood height, but a generator at home still keeps the fridge cold and the fans going whenever the lines come down.

The Herbert has done this before, reaching 15.2 metres at Ingham in 1967, 14.75 metres in 2009 and 14.52 metres in 2018. In March 2018 the Bruce Highway closed south of town at Mutarnee and north at Tully, and Ingham was cut off while homes and businesses flooded.

Sugar manufacturing is one of Ingham's top employers. Victoria Mill, about 3 km east of town, crushes around 3 million tonnes of cane a year, and Macknade Mill (1873) is Queensland's oldest. On a cane farm, size for the shed and pumps 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.
• Short bursts like the kettle or toaster: a portable power station with more output than the appliance draws, so the generator only carries the steady loads.
• 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.
• Farm office, shop or cool room: 10 to 20 kVA diesel.
• Pumps started direct on line: allow about 3.6 kVA for every kW of motor.

Sheds and pumps with three phase motors need a three phase set. Our Generator Finder works it out in about a minute, or browse farm and rural generators.

When floods cut the highway, as they did in 2018 and again in 2025, the fuel you have on hand has to go a long way. Boiling the kettle takes only a few minutes, but most kettles need more than a 2 kVA inverter's output to do it. Hand those minutes to a portable power station and a small inverter can do the rest, using less fuel on the fridge and lights than a generator sized for the kettle.

Our HY2000Si and HYPS2400 bundle splits the work that way, and the bundle costs less than buying the two separately. The HYPS2400 runs most kettles and the toaster (check the label), and the 2 kVA inverter keeps the fridge, lights and phones going and recharges it between jobs. Overnight, switch the generator off and the 1,843 Wh power station keeps the essentials running quietly. Browse the portable power stations, or see our other generator and power station bundles.

On 2 February 2025, part of the Ollera Creek bridge on the Bruce Highway between Ingham and Townsville fell into floodwater, and the inland detour could add about 700 km. Helicopters flew in supplies, generators included, and fuel came in by barge to Lucinda. Have yours home before November, test-run it, 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 the supplier warehouse closest to you. With the highway open, 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, and we'll call before dispatch to confirm access to the house or shed.

Never plug a generator into a power point to run the house. Backfeeding is illegal and can kill line workers fixing the network. Have a licensed electrician fit a changeover switch and inlet so the generator can supply your circuits safely (here's how a changeover switch installation works). Run it outdoors, clear of floodwater and well away from doors and windows, and never inside the house, a garage or a closed shed, because the exhaust can kill.