Nelson’s trampoline is the Vuly Play brand, a company with its headquarters in Wakerley, Brisbane.
Among its accessories, Vuly sells trampoline anchors that may help secure a trampoline in a storm.
However, the Vuly Play website states that “the anchor kit is designed to help make the trampoline sturdier during play. It is not designed to secure the trampoline during strong winds. We recommend moving the trampoline to a sheltered location during strong winds and storms.”
A Vuly Play customer service representative said they were advising customers to dismantle the trampolines to avoid any issues.
“Alternatively, we are also suggesting that customers remove the safety net of the trampoline and then have the trampoline flipped upside down, so it’s completely flat, then adding heavy loads of sandbags on top of the trampoline to prevent any sort of movement,” she said.
The Bunnings Workshop website says the retailer has heavy-duty pegs for securing trampolines, but “can’t guarantee that the trampoline won’t blow away in gale-force winds”.
Dr Chris James, a University of Queensland expert in hypersonic aerothermodynamics, said the problem with trampolines was their surface area.
“Trampolines, empty bins, and things that are light but have a large surface area are going to pick up a lot of drag force and get pushed around,” he said.
“The fabric on the trampolines is actually quite strong, that’s why they can be a dangerous thing in these types of situations. If they just broke, they wouldn’t be a problem.”
