Cyclone-hit tourists look in bins to eat

Hungry backpackers have resorted to sifting through rubbish bins for food in Airlie Beach after cyclone Ului cut power to the north Queensland town.

Businesses in the Great Barrier Reef tourist hub have been without power since Ului crossed the coast early on Sunday morning.

At its peak, 50,000 homes and businesses in the region were blacked out.

Whitsunday mayor Mike Brunker said a food service had been set up at the local lagoon after the council learned backpackers were struggling to find food.

"We've had reports of people sifting through rubbish bins for food, so we've asked the Lions Club to come in and help out," he said.

Mr Brunker said locals had followed advice to stockpile food, but there were limited options for visitors.

Some hotels were provided a barbecue for guests only and one upmarket restaurant was operating with a generator.

Mr Brunker said people in the Airlie Beach area had also been advised to avoid flushing toilets as power had been cut to the local sewerage treatment plant.

"The biggest problem is with sewage - we currently have no pumps working so the more people flush the more the facility fills up," Mr Brunker said.

However, he said Ergon Energy hoped to have the local substation back on line on Monday afternoon, with restoring power to the main street the priority.

"We need to get the businesses back up and running," Mr Brunker said.

He said while there would be minimal structural damage, Ului had a major impact on the region's tourism-based economy.

"We are going to have to do a marketing campaign after this and let people know we are back in business," he said.