Soo...I'm stuck in Tasmania.

We flew to Tassie just before Christmas to see family for the first time in 7 years...and due to no direct flights being available before the deadline, we're now stuck here with the WA border slammed shut. We were due to come home 2 days after the deadline on a direct flight which the airline cancelled after the deadline was announced.

In theory, we 'should' be able to come home in Feb, once the borders re-open but given how very shut the borders are right now, I can't see that happening.

Kinda worried, not gonna lie.

(On the upside, Tassie is beautiful and I have family and friends here so will be fine for the next month. Also our home will be a fab air bnb if the borders are shut long term.)

WA peeps - think the borders will open, given the state of the east coast?

 

Not a bad part of the world to be stuck in ... better than that WA heat wave

 

I'd be freaking out about my pets if that happened to me.

 

Ohhhh….. however Tassie is nice…. About to fly out back to Sydney tomorrow. You can come to Vic, NSW, Qld etc though if that helps….

 

Nah! Not a snowball's chance in Karatha.

The state has had 1½ years to get it's health system in order whilst it locked up the long line between East & West. Yet it (& some other states), dragged the chain on vaccination rollout and will now hit a wall within weeks of opening.

Hope you & the family get back Jess.

 

Thankfully you have friends and family in Tasmania to look after you for the next month. It's an awful situation being locked out of your own state!

 

I went over on the SOT just before Xmas, and came back new years day.In a way i had hoped to get locked in.

 

Just crossed back into Queensland by road (from NSW) this afternoon. Entered via Checkpoint Goondiwindi.

needed
Constant checking of changes to border pass requirements
Obtaining RATs
Doing test
Applying for border pass
Uploading supporting documents
Printing necessary papers.

We have travelled all around the world without this level of paperwork!!

 

Sorry to hear Jess! I can’t see the border opening as expected. Covid running hot since Qld opened their borders, I just can’t see us following. My daughters friend in Brisbane has it, another friend said she knows lots of people who have it. If it continues to escalate I’d be booking another sightseeing tour.

 

Have you applied for G2G?

Tas is high risk, so it is possible - must be vaxed x 2, and quarantine on return to WA (can be at home),

(Other states NSW, Vic, SA and Qld are Extreme Risk so they are virtually no chance of return.)

 

And Qantas has direct flights available from Hobart on Mondays and Fridays.

 

Taps fingers on desk. Waits for the "I just bought a house in Tasmania" post.

Stay positive. Make the best of it. Hopefully you will be home soon.

 

Tasmania.... Well, it still has a lot of the buildings from early European settlement. We've lost so much of it in Sydney.
Love seeing it in Tassie.

Plus, different wildlife, many easily accessible National Parks, far less Covid than Sydney... Good change from living in a mainland capital city, at least temporarily.

 

They're the best. I was thinking of going there this winter for dark **** but i might have to push it back another year by the looks of it.

EDIT: what the heck, the name of the festival got auto-censored lol

 

WA and their border closures lol...

We went to Canberra for Xmas and drove back to SA via NSW and Vic and not a single checkpoint or vaccine verification to be found

 

Same between Sydney & Brisbane. I traveled in peak hour on the first friday of the first week of the QLD borders opening and it was completely empty, not a single checker or anything to indicate there was a pandemic going on. No wonder it's spreading like mad in QLD.

I suspect most of the rules are by name only and they're hoping it will be enough to encourage 99% of people to follow them. They aren't actually being enforced.

 

Apologies - when I looked last night Tas was High, but it shifted to Extreme at midnight.

I would still try your luck and apply.

 

@Millie We did apply and got rejected We've been looking for direct flights since New Year with no luck - we just had to hope things were all good for the 10th but sadly not!

Our plan now if WA doesnt open is to buy a motorhome and nomad it until we can go home. So not all bad, except for my 17 yo who is supposed to be doing yr 12 this year.

 

Motorhome-schooling? That might be a first.

How has WA handled homeschooling to date (if at all)? Our experience in NSW across 3 systems hasn't been too bad overall but you may need to get a better phone plan.