Coronavirus: Fear and loathing on road trip to uncertainty as Northern Territory reopens

Picking their way through the outback, Australia’s coronavirus refugees are slowly heading north.

French tourists Alice Ripoll, 25, and Marine Abecassis, 27, wait in their campervan near the South Australia/Northern Territory border. Picture: Emma Murray

Picking their way through the Outback, along empty highways and between sleepy caravan parks, Australia’s coronavirus refugees are slowly heading north.

The jurisdiction that has had the fewest cases is taking a big risk. To ease the pain for stranded friends and struggling businesses, Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner — who faces an election in August — is lifting border restrictions just as Victoria’s deadly outbreak ramps up.

People from Greater Sydney and Victoria, representing almost half of Australia’s population, aren’t welcome. But that doesn’t mean they can’t come.

Parked up beside the Stuart Highway 10km from the South Australia border, French backpackers Alice Ripoll and Marine Abecassis were glad to be on the move, having been stuck in SA.

“We want to go (to the NT) for all the warmth, to follow the sun, to visit a different place and maybe find a job,” Ms Ripoll said

The Hewett family, stopped nearby, have been avoiding the pandemic at their isolated farm outside Adelaide but decided to risk a break in the “bubble” of their caravan when they heard the NT was opening up.

“It is a bit worrisome knowing that with Victorian and NSW people on the move … they could come in from Queensland, and we could catch it that way,” Renee Hewett said.

Her partner Lincoln Hewett joked that when a car with Victorian plates pulled up at the same stop at Coober Pedy the previous night, everyone experienced momentary panic.

“They could have been in SA for three months, too. We don’t know. But it does sort of make you think, ‘Oh well, we don’t know their story’,” he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Australians to treat each other with uncharacteristic suspicion. Bruce Whitton, a septuagenarian veteran traveller who clocks more than 100,000km in an average year, thinks usually sociable grey nomads are especially vulnerable.

“I’ve spoken to about five people in two full days, to order coffee and pay for fuel. It’s a sad state of affairs, but we’ve got to do something to stop it,” he said.

Long lines of vehicles waiting at the border on Friday. Picture: Emma Murray

He has also been keeping his distance from friends who “don’t believe in the coronavirus”. “I’m in the right age group to not come out the other side,” he said.

“I have four very young grandkids that I see on a very regular basis. I would hate for them to bring anything to me or me to take anything to them.”

About 930 people entered the Territory by road between midnight and 9.30am on Friday. Police expect many more over the weekend, and by air.

Mr Gunner announced a doubling to more than $5000 of penalties for ignoring health directions, promising that anyone arriving from a coronavirus hot spot would spend 14 days in quarantine at their own expense.

“We remain vigilant,” he said.

“But today, like every other day, I’m stressed because coronavirus is serious, and complacency plus coronavirus is the killer. We cannot relax.”

Police issued their first $5056 fine to a 25-year-old man who absconded from hotel quarantine and, when located, told officers he had become “tired of the four walls”.

They have conducted more than 27,000 compliance checks and issued 141 fines, including to people who travelled to remote communities.

Helen and Johan Ambros, in Australia from Sweden, felt confident the NT had coronavirus under control.

“It would be great to see how this place normally is because it’s been empty,” Ms Ambros said.

“Some caravan parks haven’t had everything open, so we couldn’t use the barbecue in one place and in another place they didn’t have enough toilets.”