Runaway Bay then and now
Anglers Paradise first
The southern part was developed before 1967. By the mid-1950s it had town water and about 50 homes, holiday places among them.
Built for boats
In 1967 a company bought 182 hectares along the western shore of the Broadwater, and work began in 1972 to turn it into a residential and boating area.
Settled owners
At the 2021 Census, 45.3% of homes were separate houses, 26.4% townhouses or semis and 28.2% flats. 43.0% were owned outright, 24.3% rented, and the median age was 54.
Solar
Postcode 4216, shared with neighbouring Broadwater suburbs, had 8,331 small-scale solar systems by September 2026.
Storms
Runaway Bay was activated for disaster assistance after the Christmas 2023 storms. Energex: 13 62 62 for outages.
Homes from the 1970s
A house from Runaway Bay's first years may still have an early board: some circuits on rewireable fuses, safety switches covering part of the house or none of it. The QBCC says homes built before 1990 have a good chance of containing asbestos, and electrical backing boards made before 1987 are one place it turns up.
If you're planning to stay, a new board with safety switches on every circuit is the job we'd put first. Switchboard upgrades explains what's involved, and old fuse boxes covers the oldest setups.
Jobs worth doing while you live there
- Interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms in every bedroom, connecting hallway and storey, before 1 January 2027
- Lighting on outside steps, paths and the jetty, on a sensor or timer
- Power points at a comfortable height for things you plug in every day
- Safety switch protection for every circuit, not just the power points
- A test of outdoor and waterfront circuits if anything trips in the rain
Where we'd start in Runaway Bay
If the switchboard is the original from the 1970s, we'd do that first and everything else after, because new circuits and alarms go onto a modern board far more simply. Then we'd sort the smoke alarms well before 2027 and add lighting wherever you walk at night.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.