My brother suggested the title of this, the last entry of our Dash to the Bash blog, and it is entirely accurate so I am using it!
As we approached the end of our holiday we kept hearing reports of an alarming increase in Covid cases in NSW and that gave us a terrible fear that, potentially, borders to Victoria could close. We needed to go home and we needed to do it soon. As a friend said to us the stable door is beckoning.
We felt we had two options: travel from Qld through the Northern Territory down to South Australia and across to Victoria which would have added 5,000km odd to our distance travelled, and then with no guarantee that we could actually enter S.A. or Vic. Or; to travel through NSW within a 24hr period, again hoping all the while that we could cross the border to home.
Choosing the latter as the quickest and hopefully our best opportunity, we left the east coast of Queensland(Saturday, 21st August) praying that we would arrive home safe and sound. Wanting to avoid the busier roads down through central NSW we opted
to head back to Cunnamulla in the far west, thus avoiding the bigger towns in the State. We knew we do the journey to Cunnamulla in 3 steady days, but realised that to get home as soon as possible we really ought to do it quicker than that and so we took just 2 days the 953km (593 miles).
After 542kms (337miles) on Saturday we stopped overnight in a truck/car rest area at Westmar, south west of Dalby along the Moonie Hwy. There were 4 or 5 other vans, all Victorian registration, all with the same plan. Unfortunately it wasnt the best of sleeps because one of the truckies that pulled in ran an industrial generator all night long.
Setting off on Sunday morning (22nd August) we travelled the remaining 411kms (256 miles) to Cunnamulla, thankful for the music on our iPod keeping us awake. We had made a booking for a caravan park for this night and for two reasons we are pleased that we did. First of all, the previous sleepless night and secondly, the fact that at 31o we could make use of our air conditioner. Obtaining
the necessary Permits to enter NSW and then another to transit through toVictoria within 24hrs we were able to relax a little before the next daunting part of our return.
Monday morning (23rd August) saw us leaving Cunnamulla via the Mitchell Hwy. The plan was we would drive to the Qld/NSW border where we would have an early lunch and wait for an appropriate time to leave so that we the 1193km (742 miles) through NSW within 24hrs (stipulated in the Permit) as possible. There is no rest area at the Qld/NSW border when heading south, so we just pulled up on a patch of dirt literally next to the side of the road. Several cars towing vans slowed as they approached the to NSW sign to allow for a time stamped photo – evidence of exactly what time they entered the State. We would do the same when we came to leave.
On the opposite side of the road Qld police had their Coronavirus Quarantine/border control set up, stopping all traffic that wanted to enter. We saw them turn one vehicle back, but whenever a truck or car
was allowed through it was after the police had meticulously gone through their paperwork. There was a sign warning of a $66,725 penalty if anyone tried to run the gauntlet without the necessary permits.
John had calculated how far we could realistically go on the Monday and how long it would take to get there, so we left Qld at 11:00am. At Bourke we joined The Kidman Way heading south. We drove, stopping only once for fuel at Cobar, down to Hillston. Not once did we open our car windows and only got out of the car for wee breaks (in the van) and they were in the middle of nowhere rather than in towns. After almost 6 ½ hrs we arrived in Hillston at 5:20pm and the last two hours of the drive was through horrid rain and strong headwinds. When we left Cunnamulla the temperature was 30o – when we reached Hillston it was 10o and dark.
