Generators for Tully and Mission Beach

Tully's 4854 postcode counts 12 cyclones, about one every 4.7 years. Yasi crossed near Mission Beach as a category 5 between midnight and 1am on 3 February 2011, and its eye passed over Dunk Island and Tully. Tully and Cardwell took major structural damage: more than 40% of Tully's homes were expected to be condemned, and 95% had some damage.

Larry crossed near Innisfail as a category 4 in March 2006, with heavy damage from Babinda down to Tully, and a week later Mission Beach was still among the worst-hit areas for power. Back in 1986, Winifred brought a 1.6 metre storm surge at Clump Point and 212 mm of rain in 24 hours at Tully.

After Yasi, the Queensland Government organised the hire of 54 generators to keep water, sewerage and other critical services running across the Cassowary Coast. Ergon was aiming to have Tully back on by 26 February, more than three weeks after landfall, and at Silkwood a 100 kVA generator was set up to power 20 to 25 homes in the meantime.

At home, a generator keeps the fridge, fans and phones going. On the farm, the right set keeps the cool room cold and the pumps running until the lines are fixed.

Niran stayed offshore in March 2021 and isn't in our count, but its gales still cut power to more than 40,000 properties from Cairns to the Cassowary Coast, and banana plantations took the main hit.

Then there's the Tully River. Its floods often cut the Bruce Highway at Euramo and swamp cane land, and bigger ones isolate farmhouses. It peaked above 8.6 metres at Euramo three times between December 2023 and February 2025. In February 2024, 400 mm fell on Tully, the highway near town closed for a time and some residents were stranded as roads went under.

Fruit and nut growing employs a quarter of Tully's workers, about 325 growers supply the Tully mill, and accommodation provides 6.5% of Mission Beach jobs. Size for everything the place runs:

• Fridge, lights, phones and a laptop: a 2 to 3.5 kVA inverter.
• The same, plus the TV, microwave and fans: 3.5 to 5 kVA.
• Overnight, with the generator off: a portable power station for the fridge, lights and phones. For short, heavy jobs, choose one rated above the appliance (check the label).
• Most of a house or holiday let, split system running: 7 to 10 kVA petrol, or 8 to 12 kVA diesel for long runs.
• Ducted air and the whole house: 10 kVA and up, usually diesel.
• Cool room, office or shop: 10 to 20 kVA diesel.
• Pumps and motors started direct on line: about 3.6 kVA for every kW of motor.

Pumps, sheds and workshops with three phase motors need a three phase set. Our Generator Finder does the sums, or browse farm and rural and diesel generators.

When the power stays off for weeks, as it did around Tully after Yasi, fuel and noise add up. Running the fridge and lights on a small inverter uses less fuel than running a kettle-sized generator, and a portable power station is silent, so you can switch the generator off overnight.

Our HY2000Si and HYPS1000 bundle pairs the two, and costs less than buying them separately. Through the day, the 2 kVA inverter carries the fridge and lights and keeps the 921 Wh battery topped up (it also takes up to 400 W from solar). After dark, switch the generator off and the power station keeps the fridge, lights and phones going quietly. It won't run a kettle, though. See the full range of portable power stations.

Tully's rainfall reached 3,600 mm in the first five months of 2025 alone. Buy before November, while the highway is open, then test-run the generator, store fuel safely and start it once a month.

Most units up to 10 kVA ship free, and the rest are priced at checkout, based on delivery to capital cities and major centres. If your farm, house or holiday let costs more to reach, we'll call before dispatch with the difference, and you can go ahead or cancel for a full refund.

Orders go from our store or the supplier warehouse closest to you. Most leave 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, and we'll call before dispatch to check access to the shed or house.

Never run the house from a generator plugged into a power point. Backfeeding is illegal and can kill the line workers restoring the network. A licensed electrician fits a changeover switch and inlet so the generator powers your circuits safely (see how a changeover switch installation works). Keep the generator outdoors, never in a closed shed, and away from doors and windows, because the exhaust can kill.