The lockdown nomads: freedom in a time of Covid

Our cover story this weekend is about the “lockdown nomads” who took to the road during the pandemic and never looked back.

We call them the lockdown nomads – travellers who, through luck or good planning, took to the road during these pandemic months and never looked back. Some got caught interstate when their home state went into lockdown and decided to explore their new surrounds. Many others bought vans and caravans and headed north to remote areas that have remained blissfully free of snap lockdowns.

And then there’s 18-year-old Sam Hughes, who decided to turn his gap year into an unlikely adventure. If you’re in the Top End and you see Sam, his dog and a cockatiel dawdling along in a 60-year-old tractor, give him a wave or stop for a chat. He’s been on the road for six months now, having the time of his life.