Covid, RAT tests, border wars and a festive season saga
Readers may recall my first column for last year proposed a new TV series, titled The Queensland Gambit. Well, who knew there would be a sequel?
Readers with long memories may recall my first Departure Lounge column for 2021 proposed a new TV series, titled The Queensland Gambit, about one family’s desperate bid to cross the border from NSW into the Sunshine State for the festive season.
Well, who knew there would be a sequel? Let’s call it The QGII. The name has a cruise-ship ring to it but, as we know, no foreign-flagged passenger ship has sailed north from Sydney for almost two years.
Instead, The QGII would involve countless rescheduled flights and a last-minute cancellation. There would be an anxious wait for one premier’s decision on PCR test requirements, followed by a frantic treasure hunt for rapid antigen tests. There would be a RAT test that fails – no “c”, no “t”, or anything in between. There would be wrangling with technology to upload documents on to border declarations.
There would be cancelled New Year’s Eve celebrations to avoid any close contact with potentially be-germed individuals scuppering a January 2 departure. There would be teenagers who refuse to cancel New Year’s Eve celebrations to avoid any close contact with potentially be-germed individuals. There would be raised voices. Finally, there would be a grateful sigh of relief as we touch down in Townsville and board the ferry to Magnetic Island.
I’ll have much more to write about this rocky outcrop off the coast of Queensland in the weeks to come but what a revelation it has been. At a time when overseas travel remains in the too-hard basket for many of us, Magnetic Island is, in many ways, like a slice of Asia. The heat and dripping humidity took me back to a steamy August in Hong Kong; the tumbled granite boulders reminded me of the Thai island of Koh Tao; vivid electrical storms flickering across the ocean horizon transported me to Indonesia. But make no mistake, Maggie is unashamedly Aussie – thongs, singlets, mullets, yutes, cane-toad races and all.
We were welcomed warmly to our “overseas holiday”, even when we apologetically revealed we’d arrived from the Covid war zone of Sydney. I would hardly describe it as a foodie destination, but the fish and chip shop at Horseshoe Bay serves up the best potato scallop I’ve tasted since 1978. And if you can get your hands on some of the local fresh prawns and an ice cold beer, you’ll be very happy indeed.
And so, on to 2022. This time last January we thought we’d seen the worst of Covid. Omicron has proved we should not be counting any embryonic chickens. In this week’s edition, T+L’s first for the year, we ask the experts to play soothsayer and tell us their plans. Their responses show they are optimistic and resilient, sentiments that should be of great comfort to those of us with itchy feet. Happy new year to all our readers and industry friends. Here’s hoping we can give The QGIII a miss.