It picks up when you’re on a roof or under a house, tells callers it’s your assistant and puts the routine jobs in your calendar. Storm calls get texted to you.
When you can’t get to the phone, our AI receptionist answers it, any hour, Queensland public holidays included. It tells callers it’s your assistant, gets the job details, books routine work into the times you’re free and texts you emergencies, then rings you.
For a sole trader it’s A$299 a month with 100 minutes and 150 texts, and A$299 once to set up. We work out of Wagga Wagga, NSW, and set Townsville tradies up by phone. You keep your own number.
When your phone rings out, your customer has plenty of other numbers to try.
Bureau of Meteorology (cyclone season page; Townsville Aero, records from 1940) and the ABS (Townsville local government area), read October 2026.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s official tropical cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April. It says the first cyclone to cross the Australian coast each season arrives, on average, in late December, and that quiet stretches are often followed by bursts of activity.
Tropical lows, with lower wind speeds, can do the same kinds of damage, the Bureau says. When the calls bunch up after a blow, your assistant answers each one, takes the address and what’s broken, and texts you the urgent ones while you’re on the first job.
Ergon warns that phone and mobile networks may be congested or damaged in a storm or cyclone. A call that never connects can’t be answered by anyone, us included.
Ergon Energy runs regional Queensland’s network from its head office on Flinders Street. When storm damage gets a house disconnected, most of the way back runs through a sparky, and storm-damaged solar waits until one certifies it safe.
After storm damage, flooding or inundation, Ergon may disconnect the service line and leave an Electricity Defect Report in the meter box.
The owner, body corporate or landlord arranges the safety check. If they know the wiring got wet or damaged, Ergon says not to wait for the report.
They fix the defects and sign the report, or leave a Certificate of Test and Compliance in the meter box.
The owner, or the electrician for them, arranges it. A crew checks the work and turns the power back on.
The QBCC recommends owners of older buildings get the roof framing professionally inspected after a cyclone, because some damage only shows from inside the roof space. These are its warning signs.
Your assistant answers on all of these at the same price, and only books jobs on them if your hours say so.
| 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thursday 1 January | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Monday 26 January | Tuesday 26 January |
| Good Friday | Friday 3 April | Friday 26 March |
| The day after Good Friday | Saturday 4 April | Saturday 27 March |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday 5 April | Sunday 28 March |
| Easter Monday | Monday 6 April | Monday 29 March |
| Anzac Day | Saturday 25 April | Monday 26 April |
| Labour Day | Monday 4 May | Monday 3 May |
| Townsville Show (City of Townsville) | Monday 6 July | Set each year by the Queensland Government |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 5 October | Monday 4 October |
| Christmas Eve, 6pm to midnight | Thursday 24 December | Friday 24 December |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December | Saturday 25 December and Monday 27 December |
| Boxing Day | Saturday 26 December and Monday 28 December | Sunday 26 December and Tuesday 28 December |
From the Queensland Government’s public holiday and show holiday pages, read October 2026. Show holidays are set a year at a time, and the councils next door pick their own: the Burdekin’s 2026 show day was Wednesday 24 June. We add the next dates as they’re announced.
Some calls are the network’s job. Text us if you want your assistant to point callers to one of these.
| Ring | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|
| Fallen powerlines, shocks or tingles | Ergon, 13 16 70, any hour. Triple zero if someone’s in danger | A crew finds the cause. If it’s the house wiring, the owner pays a licensed electrical contractor |
| No power | Ergon, 13 22 96, any hour | Ergon’s crews go first, and it won’t cover an electrician’s fee for a loss of supply |
| Burst mains, sewer or house drain trouble | Townsville Water, 13 48 10, any hour | The council assesses it and either sends a team or says to ring a private plumber |
| Gas | The emergency number on the customer’s gas bill | After a flood, a licensed gasfitter has to inspect the installation before it’s used again |
From Ergon’s, Townsville City Council’s and the Queensland Government’s own pages, read October 2026.
Townsville Water owns the sewer up to and including the riser. On some properties an inspection outlet marks the line, and the house drain past it is the owner’s, a job for a licensed plumber or drainer.
If your plumber finds the blockage is in the council’s sewer, they need Townsville Water’s permission before touching it. The council then reimburses the owner for the authorised work, up to its standard blockage fee.
Magnetic Island is the exception. Townsville Water doesn’t clear or repair house drains there, so islanders ring a private plumber first. After a concealed leak, the owner can apply for lower water charges once a licensed plumber has fixed it.
The QBCC says building work over A$3,300 needs a licensed tradesperson and a contract, and it tells owners to ask for your licence number and check it. Expect that question on the phone. Text us the number and your assistant will give it to anyone who asks.
The QBCC’s registers cover licensed contractors, plumbers, pools and certifiers, and its service centre is at 22 Hervey Range Road, Thuringowa Central (139 333). Electricians are licensed through the Electrical Safety Office, which has an electrical licence search, and gasfitters are on the RSHQ Portal’s search.
A sparky the morning after a storm and a pool tech in July want different calls texted to them. Pick your trade to see what we’d text you first.
The plan depends on head count, not postcode. Townsville pays what Wagga pays.
Sole traders on the tools
A$299a month
About A$9.83 a day. Plus A$299 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansA small crew
A$449a month
Plus A$499 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansA bigger team with more phones ringing
A$799a month
Plus A$499 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansGo over your minutes or texts and it keeps answering: A$0.49 a minute and A$0.25 a text. It’s month to month, because 12 months is a big commitment to make to a robot. That’s the whole price. Nothing gets added on top. Questions? Ring us on 0468 075 000 or email hello@offsitemate.com.au.
No. We’re in Wagga Wagga, NSW, and every setup happens over the phone. Ring us on 0468 075 000 and you’ll get a human.
Yes, and it costs the same as any other day. It won’t book jobs on the holiday unless your hours say it should.
Yes. Townsville landlines start (07) 44, 47 or 77 under the national numbering plan, and yours stays with your phone company. It forwards to the assistant’s own Australian mobile number. Landlines and phone systems forward differently to mobiles, so ring us and we’ll go through it with your provider.
A$299 a month on the sole trader plan, which includes 100 minutes and 150 texts, plus A$299 to set up. Two to four people is A$449 a month and five to ten is A$799. No GST gets added.
Ring us on the number below, or email. Either way, a human gets back to you.
0468 075 000Or email hello@offsitemate.com.au
