Bondi men slapped with $4003 fine after Queensland border hop attempt

Nearly 150 people were turned around at Queensland border checkpoints this morning, including three Bondi men who were caught lying to police.

NEARLY 150 people were turned around at Queensland border checkpoints this morning despite police warning there would be very few exemptions for entering the state.

Queensland closed its border at 1am to NSW and the ACT to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

Between 1am and 6am 142 people were forced to turn around at border checkpoints, including 18 Queenslanders who will now have to return to the state via air. Picture: SCOTT POWICK

Between 1am and 6am 142 people were forced to turn around at border checkpoints, including 18 Queenslanders who will now have to return to the state via air.

Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said those who were turned around at the border were disappointed but said there was significant warning about the hard closure.

“The 18 Queenslanders were extremely disappointed because there’s going to be a considerable cost for them,” Supt Wheeler said.

“Not only will they have to fly back home, they also need to go into quarantine at their own expense. It’s a very costly exercise.

“It’s unfortunate, but this is all about stopping COVID coming into QLD.

IN PICTURES: 142 refused entry as QLD slams border shut

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Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler at the Griffith St, Coolangatta checkpoint. Picture: STEVE HOLLAND

Supt Wheeler said overnight there were lengthy traffic delays as Queenslanders made a last-minute dash home.

He said 63 Queenslanders were taken straight into hotel quarantine because they had returned from COVID-19 hot spots.

Three Bondi residents learned an expensive lesson after being caught by police lying on their border declaration pass.

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The men aged between 21 and 22 were stopped about 7.40pm on Friday and were each given a $4003 fine after police determined they had been in a hot spot just three days earlier.

The hard border closure means no one is free from scrutiny by police and SES volunteers who were seen stopping pedestrians, bicycle riders and the elderly on mobility scooters.

Brunswick Heads locals from today are also barred from entering the state after Queensland Health made a change to the border bubble map overnight.

Supt Wheeler said there was confusion about a shared postcode and apologised to those residents who yesterday thought they could come to Queensland.

“There has to be a line somewhere Byron Shire was deliberately excluded by the Health Chief Officer,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler assists an elderly woman after her mobility scooter got caught on a plastic barrier at the Griffith St border checkpoint. Picture: STEVE HOLLAND

He said border declaration passes were available just after 1am and police at border checkpoints had already seen a dramatic drop in traffic queues.

“On the M1, the peak delay was about seven minutes and on the Gold Coast Hwy it was about five minutes.

“Traffic is flowing very freely. This is a hard border closure, it will reduce the amount of traffic entitled to come into Queensland.”

It is still unclear who is eligible for a specialist pass.

Supt Wheeler advised those outside who lived outside the border bubble to visit the Queensland Health website and see what pass is available to them.

“What they would need to do is look at their circumstance, look at what pass is available and then if necessary make an application for an exemption to the Health Chief Officer.”