Escape Melbourne: Nothing police could do to stop lockdown sea-change
Melbourne is once again ditching lockdown in the city for a beach break. And there’s not much angry locals can do to stop them.
South East
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‘‘Selfish” out of towners are once again defying restrictions to spend lockdown in holiday houses on Victoria’s coastline.
Angry locals want more to be done to police the “second homes of the rich and famous” including introducing mandatory licence checks.
Police in the state’s holiday pockets have already ramped up their response to complaints from locals, finding three generations of family members inside one house and cars crowding normally empty nature strips in other areas.
“It has definitely raised the ire of the locals,” Mornington Peninsula Highway Patrol Sergeant Young said.
“And who can blame them? It’s selfish. People think ‘I don’t want to be locked down’. They don’t think about the virus they could be bringing with them.”
Last year, anger over “part-timers” flocking to the Mornington Peninsula for lockdown led to a series of signs telling people to ‘Stay Away’ and Go Home’ popping up all over the region.
Local police confirmed they had responded to weekend call-outs from frustrated locals reporting people moving in to holiday houses.
“People down here know which houses are holiday homes; they know who is local and who is a weekender,” Sergeant Young said.
“They see all the cars suddenly appear in the street and on the nature strips and they know people have moved back in.”
Hastings man Ben Herbert said licence checks were needed to identify visitors to the region.
“”Would not be hard to police the second homes of the rich and famous,” he said.
“If that’s not the address on their licence fine them and send them home.”
Local Debbie Hill also wanted to “keep city folks out”.
“Keep us locals safe and let us get in with our businesses,” she said.
Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh slammed people from Melbourne who fled the city for coastal holiday homes and caravan parks.
Mr Walsh was disappointed people had flooded across the NSW border ahead of its 4pm cut-off when lockdown was announced.
“Right now our regional areas, from the coastline to the Murray, are Covid free but the self-centred idiots who feel they have a right to ignore the rest of us are pathetic,” Mr Walsh said.
“The last thing regional Victoria needs is to be added to the current list of exposure sites because too many Melbourne people don’t give a damn about their fellow Victorians.”
Phillip Island was another destination Melburnians escaped too.
Senior Sergeant Andy O’Brien said he saw people flock to their holiday homes in Phillip Island before lockdown started.
Unlike the Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island is part of regional Victoria for lockdown.
“No-one told them that they couldn’t do it,” Sen-Sgt O’Brien said.
“They aren’t committing any offences if they are complying with the rules.”
He said a shorter lockdown period made it more appealing for people to move to holiday houses before the restrictions kicked in.
“Whereas last time it was obvious the lockdown was going to be for three-months and people probably didn’t want to be commit to their holiday homes for that long.”
Phillip Island resident Elaine Hosking believed more people would escape to the island now that the lockdown had been extended.
“People don’t understand the reason for lockdowns is to keep people in the once place,” she said.
“They think because they own a holiday home, it is their right to go to it even if it has the chance of moving the virus to a region that is free from it.”
Moyne Shire mayor Daniel Meade said there hadn’t been reports or complaints about people rushing to holiday homes in Port Fairy, a popular seaside getaway in southwest Victoria.
“We just ask people to follow the health advice from the State Government and we will welcome visitors and those with homes in Port Fairy who live elsewhere back when it’s safe to do so,” Cr Meade said.
“We’ve done a good job so far of keeping Covid largely out of Moyne and we’d like to see that continue.”
Surf Coast Shire acting chief executive Anne Howard said the rules were clear – reasons for leaving home do not include to travel to a second residence.
“Last year council supported our regional health providers by asking people not to unnecessarily come from Melbourne to our area,” she said.
“The reasons for leaving home after this time do not include travel to a second residence.
“Whether people are residents of the Surf Coast some of the time or all of the time, I am sure they will stick to the rules and stay safe so that we can re-open as quickly as possible.”
