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Grafton, New South Wales

Electricians in GraftonA levee town on the Clarence.

Most of Grafton sits behind a levee that holds the Clarence River back to 7.95 metres, and NSW SES says that if it were ever fully overtopped, around 5,742 homes could be affected. Bushfires have also cut power across the valley more than once. Tell us about the job and we'll match you with one licence-checked local electrician who does that kind of work, where we have one in the Clarence.

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The new concrete bridge and the old double-deck steel Grafton Bridge side by side across the Clarence River.
Photo: Chris Olszewski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Grafton's local risks

The levee

Grafton's levee protects most of the city up to a river height of 7.95 metres. NSW SES notes the 2013 flood briefly overtopped the Fry Street levee, and estimates around 12,000 people would be affected if it were fully overtopped.

Fire and the network

In the November 2019 bushfires the Clarence Valley lost power, and over 400 poles were damaged across Essential Energy's network in five days. A Clarence Valley bushfire from 25 September to 28 October 2025 brought another disaster declaration.

Storms and a cyclone

Declarations for North Coast storms from September 2024, Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March 2025 and the East Coast severe weather from 18 May 2025.

Who to call

Essential Energy, 13 20 80, for outages, fallen lines and trees on wires. It says to stay at least eight metres from a fallen line, even one half hidden in debris.

Homes in the valley

At the 2021 Census the Clarence Valley had 26,065 private dwellings. Of occupied homes, 86.1% were separate houses, 45.2% were owned outright and 23.7% were rented.

Living behind a levee: what to sort out now

A levee makes floods rarer, not impossible. If you're in the protected area, know where your main switch is, make sure it's labelled, and keep the path to it clear. If you're ever told to evacuate, switching off at the main is a sensible last step, as long as the board is dry and you're not standing in water.

If floodwater does reach the house, nothing it touched should be switched back on until a licensed electrician has inspected and tested it and lodged a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work. The Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program covered the Clarence Valley, though applications for its raising and retrofit grants closed on 14 August 2026.

The everyday jobs

Away from floods and fires, the usual jobs are switchboard upgrades, extra power points, safety switches, lights and fans. NSW Fair Trading strongly recommends that homes built before 2000 have a licensed electrician check for safety switches. Essential Energy adds that pre-1988 homes may have a meter board with bonded asbestos, so tell the electrician if yours is that age.

Bushfire outages also push people to ask about backup power and solar batteries. Any battery or inverter connection is licensed work, and the electrician should explain how it behaves when the grid goes down before you buy.

Our advice for Grafton

We'd spend ten minutes before storm and fire season labelling the switchboard and checking that every safety switch trips when you press its test button. If any won't, or the board still has fuses, get an electrician in while the weather's calm. It's the easiest preparation there is.

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Questions

Straight answers.

Who do I call for a power outage in Grafton?

Essential Energy's 24 hour line, 13 20 80. It also takes reports of fallen lines and trees on the wires. If someone's life is at risk, call 000 first.

Should I turn the power off if we're told to evacuate?

If the switchboard is dry and you can reach it safely, switching off at the main is sensible. Never go near a switchboard or meter box that's already wet.

How do I check a Grafton electrician is licensed?

Look them up on Verify NSW, the government's official licence lookup, or Service NSW's licence check. NSW Fair Trading tells homeowners to do this before agreeing to any work.

Ready for a sparky in Grafton?

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Related help

Helpful next

Storm, flood and surge damageAfter a storm, flood or lightning strike: what not to touch, who to call, and how the power gets back on safely.Switchboard upgradesOld fuses, no safety switches or no room for a charger: when to upgrade and what changes.Safety switchesNo test button on your board, or selling or renting: what safety switches do and when the law needs them.How to check an electrician's licenceEvery state's licence register, which number to ask for, and the red flags before work starts.Electricians in New South WalesNSW licences, the Service NSW check, the CCEW, Level 2 work and which network to call.

Where this information comes from

Rules change, so check with your state regulator if something matters to your job. How we write and check these pages.

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