2 years ago, I would never have dreamed that I would be writing an article like this! What a crazy world we now live in…
*disclaimer – this article was published on the 5th of August 2021 – things are changing every single day – please check your states government sites for up to date information.
On the 4th of August 2021 our epic 6 week Queensland adventure sadly came to an end and we had to make our way back to Victoria. (Stay tuned for all our highlights from our trip to Birdsville, The Big Red Bash (YES, 10,000 people did make it to the desert!), Cape York, The Tip, Daintree & FNQ)
Our instagram stories (all in highlights now) and Facebook inbox went nuts and we were inundated with messages from travelling families – “Can you get home?” “Will you have to quarantine?” “We couldn’t get a permit – how did you?” “How are you doing this, we were told we couldn’t”….and more and more and more….
At this time, Victoria had the entire state of NSW listed as an ‘extreme red zone’, Sydney & surrounds were struggling, South East Queensland was in lockdown and many borders were closed. With all this going on, HOW did we get home?
- We applied for ONE PERMIT – a GREEN ZONE permit via the Victorian Government website
- This permit clearly stated that we could TRANSIT through NSW (red, orange zones) – as long as we did it safely.
We spent the night in Goondiwindi, had an early night and were ready to do the DASH first thing. We left at 4.40am, the kids went straight in the car in their PJ’s and went back to sleep. We were off…
3 quick Fuel Stops – where we did the right thing – Wayne masked up (felt odd after 6 weeks of ‘freedom’ in Qld) and we all used the caravan toilet…
No TAKEAWAY for this trip – Lunch in the caravan – we were all so eager to cross the Victorian border and get home safely – each news break on the radio was telling us that NSW, QLD and now Vic were all getting worse…
We drove through Tocumwal 12 hours later, waiting for the checkpoint. We had our permits, we had proof of fuel stops, we were READY! We crossed the Victorian Border at 6pm and it was a bit of an anti climax. No checkpoint? We saw one lonely cop car pull over a caravan (for an unknown reason? Could have been a permit check?).
We got home safe and sound – we drove carefully – shared the driving and then the following day Victoria was put into it’s 6th Lockdown! Our girls were so excited to go back to school, back to netball, back to sports and back to see their friends. There were tears! Lots of them. Not only were we back in the cold of Victoria after an epic adventure in the tropics, but all the things we were looking forward to were taken away (AGAIN).
We feel so incredibly lucky to have had the holiday we did – especially after all the disappointment of 2020’s cancelled travel plans. THANK YOU to Queensland for staying OPEN…
Good Luck everyone with your travels – stay safe, follow the government websites for all up to date information, be kind and ENJOY the times that you have exploring our wonderful country
xx Adele & Family
Lockdown #6 means our shop is closed again – but our ONLINE store remains OPEN and we will be shipping parcels every day and offering click n’ collect for our fabulous locals! Huge thanks for all your support…
SHOP HERE: www.adventureawaits.com.au
READ ABOUT WHY WE CHOSE VACATIONER CARAVANS HERE!