Coronavirus: Where am I allowed to travel in Australia?

With Australian state borders opening and closing unpredictably, it can be tough to plan your next holiday. Here’s where you can go.

With Australian state borders opening and closing unpredictably, it can be tough to plan your next holiday. Picture: David Clark

With interstate borders snapping shut and easing gradually and sporadically, it’s hard to know where your next travel destination is – or when it will happen.

Based on the latest travel advice, here is where you should be booking a flight and an Airbnb.

NSW

New South Wales permit travellers from anywhere in Australia. However, anyone who enters may struggle to return home, as many states and territories have shut their borders to NSW.

Residents in regional NSW are allowed to travel to the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania.

Anyone who has been in greater Sydney, the Central Coast and Wollongong however, must keep their travel within the state.

Queensland

It is a similar case for Queensland, after the Brisbane went into a three-day lockdown.

Queensland permits arrivals from anywhere in NSW except for Greater Sydney. Travellers from Victoria are asked to get a COVID-19 test, and self-isolate until a negative result is received.

However, anyone who arrives in Queensland from WA is banned from returning back to the western state. Additionally, any travellers from Victoria or SA to greater Brisbane will not be permitted to return to their home states.

Victoria

Victoria, upon adopting a traffic light system, welcomes entry from any states or territories in the “green zone”: Queensland, NT, Victoria, SA, Tasmania, ACT and WA.

WA

However, Western Australia has banned travellers from Victoria, along with Queensland and NSW, unless an exemption is held.

SA

Anyone in Australia is welcome to travel to SA, unless they have been to greater Brisbane, greater Sydney, the NSW central coast or Wollongong, south of Sydney.

ACT

Similarly in the ACT, travellers are permitted from anywhere in Australia except greater Sydney, the central coast and Wollongong.

NT

The NT accepts travellers from anywhere in Australia, except greater Sydney which has been declared a coronavirus hotspot by the territory.

Tasmania

In Tasmania, anyone who has been in greater Sydney or Wollongong must quarantine for 14 days, while travellers from greater Brisbane are not permitted to enter. Australians in the rest of the country are welcome to visit the southern state.

To get ahead of the unpredictable (and often confusing) border amendments, take a look at the websites below for frequent updates.

For national advice, Health Direct updates its travel restrictions page regularly for all states and territories within Australia.

The Australian government website is another one-stop shop for anything you need to know on interstate and international border closures.