Toowoomba power outage leaves thousands in Newtown, Harristown without electricity, Ergon crews investigating

Thousands of homes across Toowoomba were affected by a power outage, with residents witnessing a bright light and a loud bang. Watch the video:

A map showing the outage in Toowoomba on July 18, 2025.

Power has been restored to more than 7800 customers across Toowoomba following a massive outage which saw power cut and a spectacular bright flash. 

Ergon crews have discovered an underground cable fault near the west Toowoomba substation was behind a massive outage which cut power to more than 7800 homes across Newtown, Harristown and Wilsonton on Friday night. 

By midnight, power had been restored to customers, however, an Ergon Energy spokeswoman said the company is still investigating what caused the high-voltage fault.

As crews investigate, the company said there are no planned outages.

She said customers reported seeing a bright flash and hearing a loud bang, while eyewitnesses said on social media they saw the “whole sky light up".

Harristown resident Tasha Lampson caught the incident on her outdoor security camera.

The Ergon Energy spokeswoman said if customers had specific information to help find faults faster in the future, to call the 24/7 faults team on 13 22 96. 

Video courtesy of Tasha Lampson.

EARLIER:

A spokeswoman for Ergon said on Friday night that crews were looking into whether one of the city’s substations was involved, however no cause has been determined so far.

"Some customers have reported hearing a loud bang and seeing a flash," she said.

"This information helps our crews pinpoint the fault and assess any network damage.

"They will work to restore power to as many customers as possible when it is safe to do so."