South Australian police find Victorians bogged trying to enter state
They gave it a couple of goes and got their van bogged in the process, but two men from Melbourne were unsuccessful in their attempt to skirt South Australia’s strict border control. And they’re set to pay the price for the bungled trip.
Wyndham Leader
Don't miss out on the headlines from Wyndham Leader. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Dan Andrews posed the question: who would want to go to South Australia?
Well, South Australian police have the answer for the Victorian Premier.
On Thursday, they arrested two men from Melbourne’s western and northwestern suburbs, who attempted to cross the border and escape Victoria’s COVID-19 pressure not once, but twice.
Limestone Coast Police detected the men once they had crossed the border, which is a breach of the new border crossing requirements.
Police allege the duo attempted to cross into South Australia in a Volkswagen van and were stopped at the checkpoint on the Dukes Hwy at Bordertown about 4am on Thursday.
Neither man had completed the required online application to cross the border and both were deemed non-essential travellers.
South Australian police told them if they wanted to enter the state they needed to self-isolate for 14 days, but the pair decided a return to Victoria was the better option.
About 12 hours after the men had made their first attempt to get into the Festival State Bordertown Police found the same Volkswagen van bogged on a dirt road near Pinehill Rd in Senior.
It was the same two men.
They had allegedly returned to Victoria briefly, before deciding to make another attempt at entering South Australia by bypassing the border checkpoint and travelling along back roads towards Bordertown.
Both men, a 23-year-old from Tarneit and an 18-year-old from Delahey, were both fined $1060 on the spot for failing to comply with a direction.
Again, they were given the option to self-isolate for 14 days or make their way back over the border.
South Australian police said they chose wisely and were escorted back over the border.
Police continue to patrol the border between Victoria and South Australia and anyone found crossing illegally will face penalties.
MORE NEWS
INSIDE VICTORIA’S ARGY BARGY BORDER HISTORY WITH SA