FOAV has gathered useful resources and information regarding floods and fires in the Austinville Valley, along with some key emergency contact numbers.
During natural disasters or other emergencies, stay up to date via the ‘Austinville Valley Community 4213′ Facebook group. This group is an invaluable resource for sharing information within the community, especially during major flood, fire or storm events. Be sure to also check out emergency and disaster resources, including emergency kits, from these two websites: Get Ready Gold Coast and Get Ready Queensland.
Steps have been taken to prepare Mt Nimmel Hall as a community hub during emergencies. Below, you’ll find details on these resources, as well as practical steps to prepare your household for power outages and to help maintain phone and internet services during natural disasters.
Floods
Please go to the BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) site which gives flood levels for the Springbrook Road Causeway. IMPORTANT TO NOTE – If using the BOM link from your iPhone, use the Chrome browser as there can be a problem with Safari.
This website gives the height of Mudgeeraba creek in relation to the causeway on the Springbrook Road near the intersection with Austinville Road. This can be invaluable when seeking to determine whether it is worth trying to get from Austinville to the Gold Coast. Please note, FloodWatch which we used previously is no longer working.
Fire
Fire is one of the highest risks for Austinville Valley. Thanks to the work of FOAV members and Austinville Landcare there is now a well maintained network of fire trails.
FOAV member Steve Davis is connected with the Mudgeeraba Rural Fire Brigade, Steve is also the local Fire Warden and keeps FOAV up to date on fire risks so that we can appropriately relay this information to FOAV members.
If you see a fire or any other emergency, report it to Triple zero. Don’t assume others will do this. Additionally, multiple calls are useful in determining that there really is an incident. Speed in notifying authorities is the key.
Call 0431 122 679 to obtain a fire permit from Steve
Power and Communication backup in Blackout Situations (last updated November 2024)
Many Austinville households experienced very difficult circumstances when power, phone service and internet were cut off for up to 2 weeks over Christmas 23/24.
Mt Nimmel Hall has been fitted with solar panels and batteries, and has STARLINK internet, so that it can act as a community hub in emergency situations. Long term local electrician and solar provider Kurtis Schneid has set these systems up for the Hall. The hall also has a defibrillator.
Despite these community initiatives, personal preparation is also essential. Major blackouts will undoubtedly happen again, so we strongly recommend preparing as soon as possible so you are ready for the next event.
POWER
Generator backup
The easiest way to get power in a blackout is with a generator. If you want to completely replicate all your normal grid services you will need a large and expensive generator. On the other hand, a small generator will only be able to handle the essentials. You need to decide your budget for a generator and then determine the appliances that a generator of that size can handle. As a minimum you should have a generator that can power water pumps, sewerage and a fridge.
Determining the appliances that a generator can power is complex, so we strongly recommend getting an electrician to advise you. The biggest users of power are devices that generate heat like stoves, and air conditioning. To make things more complex, most appliances require a surge in power when starting. The generator will need to be able to handle all the appliances that are connected to it, plus the surge requirements of appliances as they start.
An electrician can also create one socket which the generator can be plugged into, to power all the devices that you wish to power during a blackout. In this way, all that is required is one short cord from the generator which avoids the complexity and danger of having multiple leads coming from the generator.
Solar and battery
Another good option for backup in a blackout is to have a solar power and battery system that can go off-grid when required. A solar battery system will also save on electricity costs, but they are relatively expensive, and the payback period will take years. Like a generator you can size the solar panels and battery to suit your budget. The beauty of this approach is that it is seamless and there is no noise. In prolonged cloudy periods you may need to back the battery up by a generator, however you will only need to do this for a few hours and the battery can then power the house for the rest of the day.
If your household earns less than $180K, Queensland Government has just announced a $4K rebate on batteries.
We again recommend getting the advice of your local solar provider when considering implementing an off-grid solar system.
Electric Cars
Electric cars have very large batteries which are up to five times larger than normal off-grid house batteries. This makes them an excellent source of power in a blackout. There are now several electric car brands that can provide power via a 240 volt outlet. These include BYD, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mitsubishi and MG. There are several ways to connect the electric car battery to the house and some are quite complex and require approval from Energex. The simplest way that does not require approval is to simply connect to the 240v outlet. This will provide the equivalent of a small, quiet generator that can run for several days. Also, if roads are not flooded or blocked, you can drive into town and charge them which gives you another few days of battery backup.
We again recommend talking to your local electrician or solar provider to determine the capacity of the battery, to set up the single house input socket and to determine what appliances can be powered.
PHONE AND INTERNET SERVICE
Starlink
When living in relatively remote areas like Austinville a good option for internet and phone services is STARLINK. STARLINK provides a fast, reliable, and unlimited satellite internet service that is not subject to lines and towers going offline. It can be configured to provide a VOIP phone service and can provide good “Wifi Calling” capability for your mobile phone.
Internet but no mobile phone service
If you have internet but no mobile phone signal you can use Apps such as Facebook Messenger or Whats App to communicate. Also, most telco providers now provide a service called “WiFI Calling” which enables you to make normal mobile phone calls by using the internet as the means of transmission. Simply go into the mobile data options on your phone and turn on “WiFi Calling”.
No Mobile Phone or internet service
Mobile phone towers are sometimes damaged in blackout situations so mobile coverage is weakened. There are small antenna products that are available that can be attached to your mobile phone that boost signal that can give emergency phone and internet signal. This is a great example: https://www.telcoantennas.com.au/winegard-caravan-antenna-cd8197-7.5dbi-mobile-phon