Queensland mother with 18-month-old child is attacked by armed intruders during terrifying break-in

A mother has recalled the terrifying moment she was confronted by axe and knife-wielding intruders inside her home. 

Kristy Collins was at her Townsville home, in Queensland, on Sunday with her 18-month old child when she noticed a black T-shirt out of the corner of her eye.

Ms Collins said the sight sent her into shock as she thought she was home alone with her baby while her husband was out. 

She said she started shouting when she saw the man, whose face was covered. 

'I started yelling, 'Who are you? Get out!',' the 38-year-old told Channel 7's Sunrise on Monday.

'I started to chase him out the internal door into the garage... as I have chased him out there to the back of the car, he then turned around and raised an axe. 

'As I chased him around the back of my car, there was a girl in a getaway car and she (got out and) threw what I think was a knife and got me in the leg.'

Despite her injury, Ms Collins said she continued to chase the intruder around the garage.

She said the man had a set of her keys in his hand and she believed he thought they were the keys to her car. 

However, it was the wrong set of keys for the vehicle.

'By this time I was screaming bloody murder at the top of my lungs, as loud as I could, because my daughter was inside,' she said.

'I just wanted him to leave.

'It took him a while to figure out he wasn't getting into my car ... but he kept going around trying to get into the car.'

A driver who was passing by the house caught sight of the ordeal and sounded their horn, after which the two intruders jumped into the getaway car and sped off.  

Ms Collins was transported to Townsville University Hospital to treat her leg injury. 

She had been living at the Kahana Avenue abode for just two weeks. 

Ms Collins said that her leaving the garage door open may have been alluring for the intruders but people should be able to feel safe in their homes on a Sunday morning 'in broad daylight'. 

Queesnland Police said in a statement that they are appealing for public assistance 'following a break and enter incident at Burdell in Townsville' on Sunday.

'Around 10am, a male offender reportedly armed with a weapon gained access to the Kahana Avenue property before being confronted by a female resident,' the statement said. 

'The offender has then attempted to flee the residence while being followed by the resident, before a second offender waiting outside the property threw an item at the resident.'  

Detectives are urging anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or may have relevant dashcam/CCTV vision, to come forward.

Investigations are ongoing.