General News
31 October, 2025
Chook Pens, farming machinery and power poles fly in wild Sunday storm
Kingsthorpe lost power for a day, farming equipment was damaged, and an old tin shed which once featured in a commercial on American television was destroyed on a wild Sunday afternoon of weather.
Several power poles were brought down by the intense winds, which at times exceeded 100km/h.
Kingsthorpe, which had lost power late on Sunday afternoon, regained it just after 4pm on Monday, followed shortly after by Aubigny.
102 farming properties, most in the West Prairie, Norwin and Mount Moriah districts were without power until Tuesday night.
These rural areas suffered widespread minor damage to their equipment with grain silos being dented, irrigators overturned, and, in one unlucky instance, a ute being damaged by a mobile shipping container.
An old tin shed at Norwin, which had once featured in a Rob Cohen-directed Coors Light commercial in 2006, was destroyed by the winds.
At Oakey, two sources reported a trampoline briefly blowing onto the Western Line, before being quickly retrieved by its owners.
On Cherry Street, a large chook pen, with a green tarpaulin covering, was picked up by the gale, and came down in a neighbour’s Hills Hoist clothesline, just missing a guest’s car.
Toowoomba Region Mayor and Chair of the Local Disaster Management Group, Geoff McDonald, said Sunday’s storm was a timely reminder that disaster season is here.
“(Sunday’s) storms brought thunder and lightning, felled large trees, downed powerlines resulting in wide-spread outages, and caused flash flooding to parts of our towns, city and region,” Mayor McDonald said.
“Council crews are out on the ground cleaning up roadsides and public spaces while Ergon crews are working to restore power.”
The Mayor called on residents to take these steps:
- check and clean their roof, gutters and downpipes;
- identify loose objects in their yard such as outdoor furniture and toys that will have to be put away or secured if a storm approaches; and
- pack an emergency kit to set aside that includes torches, spare batteries, a battery-operated radio, canned food, UHT milk and bottled water.
“We all have a role to play in ensuring that we are prepared for whatever nature throws at us,” the Mayor said.
“People need to be aware of how quickly the situation can change when a storm hits.”
In a life-threatening emergency, call 000 (triple zero) and for emergency flood or storm assistance, call the State Emergency Service on 132 500.
