Do you remember where you were when the bullets starting flying?

IF YOU were in Mackay 20 years ago, you would have either witnessed or heard of the events that occurred on Barnes Creek Rd.

READ MORE: 20 years: The day Mackay turned into a bikie battlefield

IF YOU were in Mackay 20 years ago, you would have either witnessed or heard of the events that occurred on Barnes Creek Rd.

Member for Whitsunday Jason Costigan remembers Sunday, August 31 as the day "all hell broke loose”.

He was working as the CEO for Mackay Rugby League and was at the junior rugby league club when everything started.

"I distinctively remember seeing all available police officer on the grounds being dispatched to what was obviously an emergency situation,” Mr Costigan said.

"They just went scat, too bad if there had been any trouble at that grand final that afternoon because there wasn't one cop inside and for good reason, as I said, it was the day that all hell broke loose.”

He remembers sitting in his office, which overlooked the Forgan Bridge and the Pioneer River.

"I remember crawling along the carpet of my office because I didn't want to stick my head up and run the risk of it getting it blown away from some bikie on the other side of the river,” he said.

Tim Mulherin recalls...

"My first son was born on that day,” he said.

"My wife was in the old mater hospital where the city markets are.

"She was going into a labour and there was a news flash that Lady Di was seriously injured. I was watching TV, she made me turn it off.

"The midwife, said to my wife that Lady Di had died and the next bit of information that had come through was that a state of emergency had been declared as there was a fight between The Outlaws and the Odin's Warriors and there was a shoot-out at Cremorne.

"At 4:37pm my son Declan was born, he's now 20 and we will always remember that as the day Lady Di died and there was a bikie shootout.”

Felicity Moore was a journalist for the Daily Mercury in 1997...

"I wasn't rostered on that afternoon, but I was thinking about going in to the office anyway because Princess Diana had been in a car accident and it looked like it was going to be a big news day,” she said.

"Then a TV journo mate rang me and told me what she'd heard on the police scanner - 'Shots have been fired at the round house. Police are on their way but not there yet'.

"At the time, I was living in South Mackay and I jumped in the car and was at the bridge 10 minutes later.

"Police had already arrived and were setting up road blocks, closing off the road. The rostered journo arrived after me, which is how I got to claim the story.

"I spoke to one of the cops who said told me a few shots had been fired but police were talking to the bikies.

"He filled me in on the details - Odin's Warriors and the Outlaws were fighting over who had the right to sell drugs in Mackay, basically who 'owned' this territory.

"A car had been left in the middle of the street and a few bikies were shooting at the round house from behind that car.

"It was pretty quiet for a couple of hours so I asked the cop (I can't remember his name) if I could go and chat to the ambos who were further up on the bridge.

"He was fine with it. I walked onto the bridge where the ambos were positioned, waiting for news on whether they could get closer to tend to the injured.

"They told me they'd been told there was a head injury and two other men hurt but not sure what their injuries were. I was talking to the two paramedics when a bikie was escorted past us.

"Half limping, half being carried by two policemen. He was clearly injured although I couldn't see where the injury was.

"There was blood on his face but I think it was just smeared there. I tried to talk to him but the cop who was half carrying him said 'no questions'.

"At that point I decided to go back to the office and write up what I had, which wasn't much. Witness accounts from the ambulance drivers, a few details from the cop I had been talking to, that's all really, but it was more than anyone else had, so it was enough for the front page.

"By the time I got back to the office Princess Diana had died and what might have been national news was bumped down the list.”

What you said...

Dee Smiley: My brother was working straight across the road at the time, & bullets were flying through the area everywhere! Scariest thing he's ever experienced he said, as you didn't know where to go!!

Melanie Reid: Going to pick my husband up from work & arriving in shock over hearing of Dianna, only to learn the road I just drove on was now closed to the shootout. They must've been right behind me 😨 I felt very lucky & relieved as I was pregnant with my first. Later discovered friends were unfortunate to be driving past just as it started. They were ducking while driving etc as bullets flying everywhere. Very scary.

Originally published as Do you remember where you were when the bullets starting flying?