Interstate travellers arrive within minutes of Queensland’s border partially reopening

One of the first families to make it back into Queensland after the border partially reopened on Monday night has detailed their harrowing trip.

Queensland’s border is poised to fully reopen sooner than December 17 as the first wave of interstate arrivals ­begins to flood in.

The first returning Queenslanders and residents relocating from NSW and Victoria began arriving on Monday night after the border’s partial reopening at 5pm.

It came after Queensland reached the 70 per cent ­double-vaccination milestone four days earlier than had been predicted.

Under the partial border reopening, travellers from the Covid-19 hotspots of NSW and Victoria can only fly into Queensland – and only if they are double-jabbed and have tested negative for Covid-19.

They also have to home quarantine for 14 days.

Virgin Australia Flight 337 from Melbourne was the first plane to touch down at Brisbane Airport on Monday night following the loosening of border restrictions.

Landing at 5.11pm, dozens of passengers disembarked, with colour-coded stickers designating whether they would be able to home quarantine, hotel quarantine or were exempt from either. This was despite passengers being on the same plane for just over two hours.

Only a handful of passengers had green stickers, which signalled either home quarantine status or full exemption.

The usual police guard around “baggage claim seven” was absent for these passengers, who were allowed to roam the lower level of the airport and eventually travel in their own mode of transport while passengers with a red sticker were placed under police guard an hour later.

Otis, 6, and his mum, Zo, arrive from Melbourne to Brisbane Domestic Airport on Monday night. They were approved to go straight into home quarantine. Picture: Image/Josh Woning

Zo, her husband and six-year-old son, Otis, were passengers on the Virgin flight.

Zo said once their flight had landed, they immediately went online to apply for a ­border pass to home ­quarantine.

“I was shaking from the time we landed until we got approved,” she said.

“It was the longest 20 minutes of our lives.”

Zo’s mother was waiting outside the airport to drive the family home where they would all quarantine.

“We just want to go home,” Zo said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has raised hopes the much-maligned road border blockade could be lifted sooner than the officially scheduled December 17, when the state’s ­double-dose vaccination rate is expected to reach 80 per cent. She said the 80 per cent target could be reached a week earlier than was previously expected.

“It could come a week earlier, but I don’t want to get ­people’s hopes up,” she said.

Police deputy commissioner Steve Gollschewski said officers were “preparing, if we need to go earlier, as we have this time (with the partial ­border reopening)”.

He said “very detailed planning” was happening to prepare for the full border reopening.

The border pass system went live at 5pm on Monday and Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said eligible people were able to start booking their flights to Queensland immediately. “Assuming they can meet the criteria, they can get their border pass immediately,” she said.

“So start booking your flights. We look forward to welcoming so many Queenslanders back to Queensland from this week.

“And for people who are wanting to come visit loved ones and also relocate to Queensland, today is the day that you can start putting in place your travel arrangements,” she said.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks during a Covid press conference at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

However, Ms Palaszczuk said she was concerned the Gold Coast, with its vaccination rate below the state ­average, was “not ready” for the border reopening.

Only 67.2 per cent of Gold Coasters had received their second dose and the Premier urged them to roll up their sleeves, saying that the Glitter Strip would be “one of our busiest tourism hotspots” over Christmas.

“The Gold Coast is not ready at this stage,” she said.

But despite the border’s partial reopening, it is a case of “so near and yet so far” for dozens of travellers stranded just kilometres from Coolangatta.

Many returning Queenslanders and NSW and Victorian people planning to move to Queensland have been holed up in Tweed caravan parks and campgrounds eagerly awaiting the border reopening.

Paula Forbes, manager of the Colonial Tweed Holiday and Home Park, said she had nine groups of guests waiting to get back into Queensland.

Ms Forbes said while they could potentially drive to Ballina Airport and fly back to Queensland now, it was impractical and expensive.

“They would have to find somewhere safe to leave their cars and vans, not to mention the cost,” she said.

“The restrictions are quite ridiculous really, especially when people are just walking across the border every day. Your Premier (Ms Palaszczuk) says she’s keeping you safe, but she’s absolutely not.”

Murwillumbah Showgrounds caretakers Greg and Meg Fallon. Picture: Danielle Smith

Greg Fallon, who runs the Murwillumbah Showgrounds where about 15 Queensland families have been stranded for months, said they could not afford to fly home and some were unvaccinated anyway.

“They’re on the bones of their arse,” he said.

“They don’t have anything. Some of them are paying rent on places in Queensland they can’t get back to. These are broken people.”

Ms Palaszczuk said she made “no apology” for the tough rules. “This is about keeping Queenslanders safe – I make no apology for putting in place criteria to protect Queenslanders,” she said.

“The last thing I want to see is a large Delta outbreak before Christmas when our vaccination levels are not as high as NSW and Victoria.”

Mr Gollschewski said ­people flying into Queensland from NSW and Victoria should expect police checks at airports. He also warned that returnees faced ongoing ­compliance checks during home quarantine.

Meanwhile, the Queensland Government has warned anyone travelling to Queensland from parts of the Northern Territory after 6pm on Tuesday will need to arrive by air, provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, and then go into quarantine for 14 days after Greater Katherine and Robinson River went into lockdown on Monday evening.

Anyone who doesn’t have a suitable home or anyone who doesn’t meet the eligibility for home quarantine will be required to complete the quarantine period in a government-arranged hotel.

Queensland Health strongly urges anyone who has arrived in Queensland from the Greater Katharine region between 6pm on Monday and 6pm on Tuesday to get a Covid as soon as practical and follow the same lockdown restrictions announced by the NT Government.