TL;DR: Sunday’s 74 km/h (40knot) wind gusts were officially the strongest recorded at Banana Bank since Cyclone Alfred, and for me, they brought back vivid memories of the day Adaire to Dream ended up on the beach after her entire mooring failed. While my upgraded mooring held this time, two other boats broke free and ferry services were suspended, leaving many islanders scrambling for information. The weather wasn't the only challenge. Finding clear, timely updates proved harder than it should have been. As Coochiemudlo settles into the new Translink-operated ferry system, perhaps yesterday highlighted an opportunity to improve communication during major weather events. In the meantime... if anyone fancies buying a house on Colburn Avenue as emergency accommodation for stranded islanders, let me know. 😉

 

Sunday was one of the windiest days I can remember since Cyclone Alfred.

 

And yes, this time I checked the actual figures before trusting my memory!

 

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded a maximum gust of 74 km/h, or 40 knots, at Banana Bank at 3.08pm on Sunday 19 July. At that moment, the wind was averaging 54 km/h, or 29 knots. It continued blowing strongly for hours afterwards, with repeated gusts of 63 km/h and above. (Bureau of Meteorology)

 

But the numbers weren’t the reason I was afraid.

 

My fear was much more personal.

 

Would Adaire to Dream stay on her mooring, or would I find her sitting on the beach again?

 

When a gust carries a memory with it

 

Back in December 2021, Adaire to Dream didn’t simply break a mooring line during a wild wind event.

 

She took the entire mooring with her!

 

The heavy gear that was supposed to remain firmly embedded in the seabed came out, and boat, mooring and all ended up on the beach. (Which was a blessing in disguise, as that that time, I was in the middle of replacing the old winch anchor with an electric drum system). I was onboard at the time and it felt like being in a washing machine, as far as my imagination would take me!)

 

One of the Coast Guard crew members who came to my rescue described the conditions to me at the time as being around a Force 10 gale.

 

The Christmas Market marquees had been erected on the foreshore the night before, too. Several were damaged and scattered, with reports of one ending up in a yard in Marana Street.

 

Needless to say, I learned a few things from that little adventure.

Some were practical.

 

Some were expensive.

 

Since then, I’ve had the mooring strengthened and upgraded the tackle, which is the collection of chains, shackles and other gear connecting the boat to the heavy stuff beneath the seabed.

 

Yesterday, that felt like money very well spent.

 

Yes, yesterday really was that windy

 

It wasn’t my imagination.

 

The official Banana Bank figures show yesterday’s 74 km/h (40knots) gust was stronger than several other memorable wind events during the past year:

15 July 2026: 57 km/h, or about 31 knots

2 February 2026: 72 km/h, or about 39 knots

19 July 2026: 74 km/h, or 40 knots

 

The height of Cyclone Alfred at Banana Bank, 7 March 2025: 93 km/h, or about 50 knots

 

That makes Sunday’s gust the strongest recorded at Banana Bank since the Cyclone Alfred period in March 2025, based on the Bureau’s monthly station records. (Bureau of Meteorology) So my internal wind alarm was not being overly dramatic. Well, perhaps it was being a little dramatic. But it had evidence.

 

Then came the message every boat owner dreads

 

Around the time of that crazy mid-afternoon burst, my boating friend Baz alerted me that a boat had broken free. Cheers, Baz!

 

I headed towards Main Beach as fast as my little bike would carry me.

 

Which sounds impressive until you add the bit about riding directly into the headwind down Elizabeth Street. (Mary Poppins would have ended up in the drink at Morwong Beach!)

 

When I reached the beach, I was mortified to see where the drifting boat had ended up and how close its path appeared to have taken it to Adaire to Dream and some of the other boats in the mooring field.

 

Another boat had also broken free, leaving the barge ramp effectively bookended by two wayward vessels.

 

From what I could see, the mooring lines on both boats had failed or been severed for reasons that weren’t immediately clear. I don’t know exactly what caused either failure, so I’m not going to guess. All I know is that my boat was still where she was supposed to be.

 

And I was enormously grateful.

 

Sometimes the distance between “everything’s fine” and “this is going to cost a fortune” is only a few metres.

 

Meanwhile, half the island was asking the same question...

 

The barge service had been suspended earlier in the day. Later, the passenger ferry was suspended too.

 

The Coochie Community Facebook group quickly lit up with questions from people trying to work out whether they could get home, leave the island or collect someone stranded on the mainland.

 

The advice was to check the Amity Trader or Translink websites.

 

So I checked the Amity Trader website.

 

I couldn’t find a current notice.

 

Then I checked Translink, where the disruption information appeared within the journey-planning system rather than somewhere immediately obvious to someone simply asking: “Is the ferry running?”

 

Several people contacted me to ask when services would resume.

 

I knew exactly as much as everyone else did.

 

Not much.

 

A couple of hours later, Amity Trader posted that passenger ferry services would resume with a 5.30pm departure from Victoria Point and a 5.45pm departure from Coochiemudlo Island, subject to another suspension if the weather worsened.

 

Good news, certainly.

 

But for those trying to make decisions in the meantime, finding reliable information had been harder than it should have been.

 

Here’s where the story gets more complicated

 

The passenger ferry is now part of the Translink network and operates as route F50, with Amity Trader listed as the delivery partner. The integration brought go card and contactless payments, 50-cent fares, journey-planning tools and access to Translink service information.

 

And this is where things become less certain.

 

I don’t know whether joining Translink has changed how much autonomy ferry skippers have when deciding to suspend or resume services in difficult weather.

 

I don’t know whether yesterday’s communication delay sat with Amity Trader, Translink or simply the practical reality of managing a fast-changing situation while crews were dealing with dangerous conditions.

 

It may be that the systems between the operator and Translink are still being bedded down.

 

That is a possibility, not a confirmed fact.

 

What we do know is that the ferry is an essential public transport service for Coochiemudlo residents. When it stops, people need one clear place to find timely information.

 

Not three websites, two Facebook pages and a community guessing competition.

 

Fifty cents is brilliant. Clear updates would be even better.

 

I’m grateful for the 50-cent fare.

 

Very grateful, actually.

 

It makes travel significantly cheaper and connects our ferry journey with the wider public transport network. Queensland’s flat 50-cent fare applies across Translink services, regardless of distance travelled.

 

But integration has also changed something that was previously very local.

 

There was once a degree of familiarity and flexibility between islanders, ferry crews and the operator. Now there is a larger system involved, and large systems tend to come with processes.

 

And portals.

 

And journey planners.

 

And information hidden behind the digital equivalent of the third cupboard on the left.

 

Yesterday may simply have exposed a communication gap that nobody knew existed until the wind reached 40 knots and people couldn’t get home.

 

That’s how systems improve, hopefully.

 

Something happens.

 

People identify what didn’t work.

 

Then somebody fixes it before the next wild weather day. Which brings me to my completely practical solution...

 

Who wants to buy a property on Colburn Avenue and turn it into emergency accommodation for islanders who can’t get home?

 

Ferry suspended?

 

Come in.

 

Spare beds down the hallway.

 

Kettle on the bench.

 

Possibly wine in the fridge.

 

And of course, FREE, easy and close by parking!

 

Hahaha!

 

I’m joking, obviously.

 

Mostly.

 

NB: While my AI buddy finessed my original writing, the fear was all mine. And Real! Maybe I’ll use it to talk me off the ledge next time…hmmm 🤔