Generators for Rockhampton and Yeppoon

Direct hits are rare here. Yeppoon, on the coast, sees a few more: its 4703 postcode counts 7 cyclones since 1970, two of them severe. But a cyclone doesn't need to cross nearby to cut the power or the roads.

Debbie isn't in Rockhampton's count. It crossed the Whitsunday islands as a category 4 before making landfall near Airlie Beach in March 2017, and up to 1,000 mm of rain then fell on parts of the Fitzroy basin. The river peaked at 8.9 m in Rockhampton on 6 April, about 350 customers had their power switched off as a precaution, and the Bruce Highway was closed for five days. Fitzroy floods linger, too: the 1991 flood stayed high for about 20 days.

Marcia crossed the coast at Shoalwater Bay as a category 5 on 20 February 2015. Its category 4 core passed close to Yeppoon, causing significant structural damage, and Byfield was badly hit. The next evening about 34,800 customers were without power around Rockhampton and 13,500 around Yeppoon. Four days on, more than 1,800 sections of powerline were down.

Distant storms do damage too. During Dylan, which crossed near Bowen in 2014, a falling gum tree cut power to 1,900 Capricorn Coast customers. David crossed just north of St Lawrence in 1976 and still unroofed 30 buildings in Yeppoon and wrecked the Rosslyn Bay Harbour breakwater.

After Marcia, Livingstone Shire's mayor asked residents to save drinking water until a water treatment plant had power again. Eight days after landfall about 90% of properties were back on, but crews were still working on outlying feeders such as Alton Downs, Bouldercombe, Stanwell and Keppel Sands, and preparations were under way for a high-voltage generation unit at Byfield.

This is cattle country, with more than 3 million head in the surrounding area. On a property, a generator keeps the bore and stock water pumps going. In town, it keeps the fridge, fans and phones running.

• Fridge, lights, phones and a laptop: a 2 to 3.5 kVA inverter.
• Add the TV, microwave and fans: 3.5 to 5 kVA.
• Quick, heavy loads like the kettle or toaster: a power station rated above the appliance, like the 2,400 W HYPS2400, so a 2 kVA inverter can carry the rest.
• 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 stock water pumps started direct on line: allow about 3.6 kVA for every kW of motor.
• Shop, office or cool room: 10 to 20 kVA diesel.

Three phase sets suit sheds, workshops and pumps with three phase motors. Our generator size calculator works it out in about a minute, or browse 3 to 8 kVA and 8 to 15 kVA generators.

In a long outage, the fuel has to last. A generator big enough for the kettle spends most of the day carrying the fridge and lights, burning fuel to do it. Most kettles ask more of a 2 kVA inverter than it can give, though just for a few minutes, so hand the kettle to a power station and keep the generator small.

Our HY2000Si and HYPS2400 bundle does just that, and costs less than the generator and power station bought separately. The 2,400 W HYPS2400 handles the toaster and most kettles (check the label first), and in between the HY2000Si keeps the fridge, lights and phones going and tops the battery up. Four days after Marcia, Ergon expected most of Rockhampton back by the end of that week, and the Capricorn Coast by the middle of the next. On nights like those, the power station carries the essentials quietly with the generator off. Compare every portable power station we stock.

Ahead of the 2017 flood peak, a Rockhampton hotel manager said there were no generators left to buy. Getting fuel takes time too: after Marcia, people queued at service stations for generator fuel, one of them for about an hour. Buy before November, run it once at home, store fuel safely and start it every month.

Most units up to 10 kVA ship free, and freight on the rest is priced at checkout. Those prices are based on delivery to capital cities and major centres, so if your property costs more to reach, we'll call before dispatch with the difference. You can go ahead or cancel for a full refund.

Orders ship from our Townsville base 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, so we'll call before dispatch to confirm access to the house, shed or bore.

Never feed the house by plugging a generator into a power point. Backfeeding is illegal and can kill the line crews restoring power. A licensed electrician fits a changeover switch and inlet so the generator can run your circuits safely. See how a changeover switch installation works. Run the generator outdoors, away from doors and windows, because the exhaust can kill, and keep it on dry ground when the Fitzroy is up.