Stay Away From the Outback

Hi Allan

At this stage, things are really taking a different stand every day and travel is closed at many state borders and any trips away this year will be on hold for everyone.

If things keep going the way they are, it will not be long for total lockdowns Australia wide.

Keep Safe



Stephen

The point that a lot on here don't seem to be able to grasp is that the 'small' towns do not have the capacity to deal with 'travellers' - grey nomads -visitors -tourists currently .... It is not just 'medical' services but everyday today items , supply lines are stretched to the point of 'rationing ' ....the 'extras' that are ordered in for the normal season of travellers - nomads -tourists etc etc are 'unavailable' ... we have NO EXTRA stock , we have no extra medical supplies ....STAY HOME ...OR where YOU CURRENTLY ARE.....

Report on the radio, yet to be confirmed, the road into Coral Bay has been closed and a roadblock is in place at the Sandfire Roadhouse preventing travel.

Just in from WA Premier, all but essential travel within state to cease from Midnight Tuesday, March 31st. To be enforced by Police.

It had to come. Good luck and stay put.

Just saw this on another forum,

Western Australian Premier has announced that:
"We've made the extremely difficult and completely unprecedented decision to shut down travel between WA's regions.

From midnight Tuesday, restrictions will be placed on travel within the entire State of Western Australia.

Western Australians will not be permitted to leave their regional boundary."
If you are currently away from home - you need to come back. Now.

If you were planning a trip - you cannot go.

I had to do an essential business trip in the Hilux, yesterday, in a triangle from Perth to Northam, across to Calingiri, and back to Perth.

This involved travelling both the Gt Eastern and Gt Northern Hwys.
I was thinking the highways would be quietening down - yet the traffic levels were still extremely high - and most staggering of all - the highways were full of vehicles towing CARAVANS!!

I don't know where these people think they're going to go?
All National Parks and Reserves are closed, country towns have stopped welcoming visitors - and more importantly, they are REFUSING TO PROVIDE SUPPLIES, to out-of-towners!!

I know of several country town grocery stores in W.A. who have placed security people on their doors, and are demanding ID of buyers, to ensure they are local, and only supplying locals with their normal supply needs.

They had a near-riot in Pingelly earlier this week, when a bunch of Asians rolled up from Perth and started to strip the shelves of the grocery store in Pingelly.

Police were called, the Asians were not supplied with any goods from the store, and they were ejected from the store.

The Premier of W.A. has already advised - forget about any holidaying, 4WD-ing, camping, or unnecessary travel by vehicle in W.A.
It is only ESSENTIAL movement that must be carried out - and even then, obeying the specified distancing from others, keeping hands clean, avoiding cash handling, and making sure you sanitise all surfaces before touching them.

The largest hospital in the S.W. of W.A. - Albany Hospital has only FIVE ventilators for respiratory complaints. An influx of travellers presenting with the virus would overwhelm them.

S.W. W.A. towns tell visitors to stay away

Cheers, Ron.

It's getting a bit sad for some of the poor grey nomads stuck in Tasmania at present - they are trying to get onto ferries which have no available bookings, yet have been banned from being in Tasmania unless they are Tasmanian residents.
Even some travellers with interstate number plates are copping abuse for not going home, when they simply can't get home yet (and presumably will be quarantined as soon as they land in Melbourne anyway).
As a Tasmanian I find that a bit sad when generally we do our best to encourage visitors and make them feel welcome - though I have to say the State Government has done a good job by being first to close the borders and ban any cruise ships from unloading their germs - sorry, passengers - weeks ago.
One of the great advantages of being an island state at the bottom of an island continent I guess.
Who'd book a cruise now???

There is the yearly pilgrimage into Karumba happening now. The police have talked to these people and just said. If you come in you won't be allowed out and that might be for 6 months, Many decided to leave.

Curry shire have closed Clem Walton park and evicted anyone who was there.

Saw a report from the ABC about locals in Longreach slashing the tyres of interstate Caravans. Now that is going to get them moving on isn’t it.

Macca.

While the Stay Away From the Outback and the other associated thread has a reasonable message the same applies with some cities - when you country bumkins get sick, where will you end up - in city hospitals swamping our facilities - maybe we should stop country people being transferred to city facilities - and no, I dont actually mean that but is similar the the rhetoric being pushed by people on these threads.

I live in Canberra - not actually in NSW yet even in normal times our hospitals are swamped by people from southern NSW extending waiting times for all type of procedures - why cannot NSW deal with their own sick. As this virus spreads I can see our facilities being completely swamped by interstaters.

This view is similar to the vitriolic expressed here and particularly in the other thread.

Not understating the seriousness of the circumstances of the situation we find ourselves in but there is no reason to carry on like drama queens like some people are.

Yes stop moving around, stay at home, keep safe - accept that some people will have to stay in your outback communities, but just think what would happen if the ACT followed some of the selfish views espoused in these two threads and shut its borders and hospitals to people from southern NSW. Like many small towns, our medical facilities are barely adequate for our population, (the same as you little medical centre is barely adequate for your small country town) but we will not shut people out we will help.

Some people need to lighten up a bit and stop being drama queens - we all know how important this emergency is without people carrying on like pork chops.