Extended power outages, Gold Coast theme parks shut down on Boxing Day

One state’s Christmas Day storm has wreaked havoc, leaving thousands without power and denying families a Boxing Day out at a tourism mecca’s famous theme parks.

Thousands of Australians will be without power until the New Year after one of the wildest storms in years wreaked havoc on homes and infrastructure.

More than 126,000 Energex customers were still without power on Boxing Day, nearly 24 hours after the massive storm ripped through the Gold Coast on Christmas night.

Power utility company Energex warned on Boxing Day morning the damage from the wild weather was “catastrophic and widespread” and some customers would likely be without power for days.

“Customers in the worst-hit areas need to be prepared for the possibility of being without power until as late as Sunday afternoon (December 31),” Energex said.

“This is some of the worst damage we’ve encountered and we can’t overstate the immense scale of the job ahead.”

Meanwhile, the storms played havoc with Boxing Day plans for the popular tourist spot, after almost all of the Gold Coast’s famed theme parks were shut down to assess damage from the storms.

Warner Bros. Movie World shut down on Boxing Day alongside Wet’n’Wild, Dreamworld and WhiteWater World. Picture: Destination Gold Coast

Warner Bros Movie World, Wet’n’Wild, Dreamworld and WhiteWater World all announced a temporary shutdown for clean-up and maintenance work following a night of weather that downed powerlines and damaged properties across the coastal strip.

“Due to severe storm damage, Wet’n’Wild will unfortunately not be open today,” the park’s operators announced on social media on Tuesday morning.

“We hope to reopen as normal tomorrow (Wednesday) and will provide an update on our website and social media.”

People generally reacted positively to the news on social media, congratulating the operators on prioritising safety and staff welfare.

“I am glad the parks are taking the safety and wellbeing of guests into consideration ahead of profits,” Daniel Adin wrote following Dreamworld’s announcement of its shutdown.

“All rides will have to be checked and tested after every stoppage after severe weather interruptions to operations.”

“I was driving pass the park last night,” Tallis Boland wrote.

The storm caused severe damage to transmission infrastructure across South East Queensland. Picture: Energex

“The whole way from Tweed Heads to just before Brissy (Brisbane) looked like a war zone.

“I hope everyone is safe and the damage is manageable.”

Dreamworld offers visitors a view of exotic animals, including tigers, in addition to rides.

Karla, a representative from the park, said the animals were “safe and sound” after the storm.

“We look forward to welcoming you back again soon,” she said.

Village Roadshow’s SeaWorld remains open.

The Gold Coast will suffer a financial hit from the Boxing Day shutdown, with the theme parks collectively bringing in millions each year in revenue.

Dreamworld tigers like Adira are a star attraction for the theme park. Picture: Supplied

Wind gusts of up to 106km/h whipped through the seaside tourist hotspot late into the evening on Christmas Day, felling trees and sending debris flying through the street.

More than 120,000 homes and business were without power at 11.30pm on Monday after 300 power lines were downed by the storm.

“This is an extremely dangerous situation,” the power utility said on Boxing Day morning.

“If you need to be outside, watch for fallen power lines – report any you see ASAP to triple-0 or 13 19 62, stay well away and warn others.

“Never, ever assume that a downed power line is anything other than live and dangerous.”

Properties in Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast suffered damage in wild weather across Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2023. Picture: Supplied

Storm damage at Oxenford on the Gold Coast. Picture: Charlton Hart.

Photos posted by the company to social media show power lines down and trees falling over others.

“Our network has been demolished in some areas: More than 500 sections of power line are on the deck, and hundreds of poles are seriously damaged or snapped, and at least one high-voltage concrete pole has been snapped,” the company said.

“There’s no easy way to say this, but some customers will not have power for days – we’re looking at catastrophic and widespread damage on the scale of a cyclone.”

Photos across social media show widespread damage to properties across Gold Coast suburbs.

In one, a house in Helensvale has caved in from the storm, with material collapsing onto a bed, while in another, debris is strewn across a property in Runaway Bay.

The buckled crane at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. Picture: Energex

Properties in Helensvale in the Gold Coast suffered damage in the wild weather across Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Picture: Supplied

The storm was ferocious enough to cause a massive crane at Burleigh Heads to buckle.

The Queensland SES said it was working through “hundreds” of jobs on Boxing Day morning after the storm.

“An intense storm that moved through southeast Queensland last night resulted in a number of trees falling onto homes, cars and powerlines, causing significant damage,” the volunteer service said.

The storm has also coloured the day with tragedy after a woman in her 50s died after she was struck by a tree at Helensvale.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles said on Tuesday the storms were so strong that for the first time ever SES reported concrete power poles being taken down.

BoM predicts severe thunderstorms to keep striking much of Queensland across Boxing Day 2023. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

“It will take days to get all of them repaired. I spoken to the mayors of Logan and Gold Coast, the situation is in hand through their local disaster management,” he said.

Deputy Premier Cameron Dick said the fierce storm “can only be described as a mini cyclone”.

And the weather carnage looks set to continue, with Bureau of Meteorology warning Queenslanders on Tuesday afternoon to brace for yet another round of storm weather from the Torres Strait to southeast Queensland.

“Isolated severe very dangerous thunderstorms” carrying large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain are likely to strike southeast of Clermont and Ingham, to the border, the forecaster said.

A major flood warning has also been issued for the Logan River, with flood waters already spilling over the banks at 8.7m at Beaudesert in the Scenic Rim region.