The Queensland Gambit: a COVID thriller about border restrictions
Travel + Indulgence returns from holidays inspired with an idea for a Netflix miniseries.
Travel + Indulgence returns from holidays inspired with an idea for a Netflix miniseries. It would be called The Queensland Gambit and it could be the next big hit.
Set in these pandemic times, the plot would centre around a family of four that has hoped for months to drive north from Sydney to Queensland to celebrate Christmas with relatives. So optimistic are they that travel restrictions will allow them to cross the border, they buy a new car so they can ride in comfort, that is, in a vehicle that has functioning airconditioning, won’t leak when it rains and doesn’t smell like a wet dog. Months out, they book a hotel in Brisbane, paying extra for a flexible cancellation policy.
Things are looking good but as departure day looms, a coronavirus cluster emerges on the northern beaches. Then cases start popping up in Croydon and southwest Sydney. Suddenly their trip is in jeopardy. Should they leave early and make a run for it? Decisive action is required. However, one family member wakes with a sore throat and must queue for hours at a drive-through testing clinic. After an anxious wait, the results come through late that night — negative. With the closure of Queensland’s border imminent, they are now in a race against time.
The housesitter is summoned early; the car is loaded in a rush. They hit the freeway north, aiming for Wallangarra where, according to the latest news bulletins, the “gates” will close at 1am. One hour in, the teenagers demand fast food. The parents acquiesce, but the place is crowded and they are greeted by masked staff wielding sanitiser and QR codes; fresh cases have been reported in Newcastle. It feels like the net is closing in. They vow there will be no more fast food.
On a steep ascent along Thunderbolts Way, 45 minutes out of Gloucester, a warning flashes up on the new car’s dashboard. Apparently they have engine trouble and should return the vehicle to the dealer immediately. The parents employ their extensive mechanical knowledge and decide the motor sounds fine. “It’s probably just an electrical error.” They push on.
They stop for dinner in Armidale, eschewing the Golden Arches and other such outlets for takeaway Korean from an eatery that appears to be part of the slow-food movement. It takes an hour. The clock is ticking.
Back on the road, the car passes ominous neon boards warning of Queensland border restrictions. Each family member has applied for and received a border declaration pass on their phone. Will that be enough to satisfy the bureaucrats at the boundary?
The ending for The Queensland Gambit may need work, as it’s all a bit of an anti-climax. Our quartet crosses the border with three hours to spare, not a police officer in sight. They submit to the required COVID tests and get the all-clear. The reunion with relatives is filled with hugs and relief.
The closing scene would depict the family zooming back into NSW at the Tweed seven days later, gawping in horror at the enormous tailback inching towards Queensland in the opposite direction.