Circus, Sunraysia Football Netball League flee Mildura to avoid Covid restrictions

A circus and a footy league say they have been handcuffed by the Victorian Government’s Covid restrictions and forced to move to NSW – all so spectators can attend.

Sesame Street Circus Spectacular show director and Globe Rider Dominik Gasser with Mason and Cooper Gasser, next to the tent about to be put up at the Wentworth Showgrounds. Picture: Michael DiFabrizio

A circus set to perform in Mildura has packed up its tent and headed interstate, refusing to entertain under the Victorian Government’s Covid restrictions.

Sesame Street Circus Spectacular was set to open in Mildura on May 28, but Victoria’s lockdown postponed the event.

A post-lockdown crowd limit of 50 people then had organisers scrambling for an alternative solution.

Now, the circus will open on Friday, 30km away at the Wentworth Showgrounds – on the NSW side of the border.

Circus director Keith Brown said the Mildura shows were meant to be the first they had held in a regional area for two years.

The big top had been set up and ready to go, but has since been taken down.

“Fifty people is the maximum you can have in Mildura, but by crossing the borders – crossing over the bridge – we can go to full capacity,” Mr Brown said.

Wentworth Shire Council had worked hard behind the scenes to help make the move north possible.

Mr Brown praised the support from the Mildura community, who had kept ticket lines busy even after the change of locations.

“It’s incredible how the local people have tried to help out,” Mr Brown said.

“We’ve had people come down to us to help us, there were offers to help us pack up, we’ve had food hampers delivered to us.”

A rule limiting border residents to only four reasons for entering NSW was abruptly scrapped on Monday.

Those from a Victorian cross border community can enter the designated “border region” in NSW, provided they don’t travel to the rest of the state or have been outside the Victorian border region.

The decision paved the way for the Mildura-based Sunraysia Football Netball League to move all of its fixtures for this weekend across state boundaries.

Sunraysia league president Paul Matheson said clubs were heavily reliant on gate takings to cover overheads and moving to NSW was the most viable option.

“We couldn’t sit on our hands in waiting on the Victorian Government to lift restrictions on us,” Mr Matheson said.

“The clubs are pretty adamant that it’s ‘no crowds, no play’, it’s just not feasible.”

Further all-NSW rounds have not been ruled out.

The competition plans to make up its two missed rounds at the end of the season, while moving both its semi-finals to one weekend.

That would mean the grand final is pushed back only by one week.

Sunraysia league round 9 fixtures:

Irymple v Wentworth, Saturday at Dareton

Robinvale Euston v Ouyen United, Saturday at Euston

Imperials v South Mildura, Saturday twilight at Gol Gol

Red Cliffs v Merbein, Sunday at Dareton

Follow The Mildura News on Facebook to keep up to date with other local stories