Travel plans

bgt · Guru

Travel plans

outlaw40 · Guru

Plenty to see within any one state without leaving it . I could happily roam Qld for the next 20 years and not be worried about going to any other state . Closed borders are a Non issue if you ask me .

bgt · Guru

That's a very selfish attitude. A me, me, me.

Tony LEE · Guru

This year we started in NSW and kept on the move so we couldn't be locked down, waited patiently until we could cross into South Australia via the approved shortcut across pestilence-ridden Victoria, stayed a few weeks until South Australia caught it - which cancelled our tassie entry permit, and quickly crossed into now-clean Victoria the day before that border was closed, kept fingers crossed that Victoria would stay clean long enough to be granted approval to board the ferry, and here we are enjoying mild summered mask-free but still covid-safe (sort of) life in Tasmania. Can be done, just needs patience and luck

Cupie · Guru

Tony LEE wrote:
This year we started in NSW and kept on the move so we couldn't be locked down, waited patiently until we could cross into South Australia via the approved shortcut across pestilence-ridden Victoria, stayed a few weeks until South Australia caught it - which cancelled our tassie entry permit, and quickly crossed into now-clean Victoria the day before that border was closed, kept fingers crossed that Victoria would stay clean long enough to be granted approval to board the ferry, and here we are enjoying mild summered mask-free but still covid-safe (sort of) life in Tasmania. Can be done, just needs patience and luck

That's a sensible attitude.

I'm quite happy to suspend my preferred next trip down coastal NSW and go up the Qld coast instead.

The important thing is to do all we can to minimise the spread. Closing borders certainly contributes to this as does the wearing of masks. I have bulk packs & disposal containers in each of my vehicles plus a couple of reusable ones that a relo made for us. Oh yes .. a hand sanitiser dispenser in both as well.

I think that if the next cricket test goes ahead in Sydney, irresponsible in my view, then the final one should be held there too rather than in Qld. The best decision would have been to hold all of the remaining tests in Melbourne.

edit .. I would have thought that BGT has had plenty of opportunities to get back to SA had he followed a similar strategy to Tony Lee, although health issues may have been a further restrictor.

Certainly interstate RV travel won't be the same as in the past, perhaps for a few years. We too have plenty of options for intra state travel despite having seen lots of Qld. over the last 21 years.

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 31st of December 2020 02:13:12 PM

outlaw40 · Guru

bgt wrote:
That's a very selfish attitude. A me, me, me.

WTF how exactly is that selfish all I would be doing is following health experts instructions . Selfish is making a midnight run into another state before the borders close so I didn't miss out on my winter holidays ,ring any bells .

bgt · Guru

Outlaw40 it's selfish because you posted a reply that only looked at your own situation. I can't travel just when it suits me. Many retired folks can. I have health issues that only gives me short windows of opportunities. Each time I've had an opportunity to travel south they change the border restrictions. And I'm sure I'm not the only one with time constraints. I can't afford, health wise, to head south only to be caught up in new border restrictions. Folks need to see things from a broad perspective and not just from their own view. Tony was fortunate to have the time to work with the restrictions. Lucky him. A sensible approach. I wish I could also. But try to see this from other folks perspective and not just with blinkers on. It's going to be a long long time before this virus is under control. When will folks accept living with it rather than hiding under the doona every time there's an outbreak?

Greg 1 · Guru

Live with it? No thanks. Look at the overseas countries that have tried that approach. Went really well didn't it. Would love to head east. Haven't seen my grand kids for nearly two years now, but we just have to be patient and sensible about this.

boab · Senior Member

Agree 100% Greg i would love to be heading over to SA in a couple of months time but that wont be happening the selfish ones are those that dont follow the rules i recon i will be doing a bit more traveling in WA for some time to come

Whenarewethere · Guru

I am fiddling on the car. I the process of a modifying the subwoofer. Bought a spare from overseas to experiment on & can then compare it with the copy in the car.

Plenty of things to keep one occupied!

outlaw40 · Guru

Bgt its called self preservation not selfishness and if you and others tried that then maybe we would be out of the woods quicker . You have been pushing your LIVE WITH IT AND GET ON WITH LIFE barrow ever since this started . I for one will remain in my state and limit movement as much as possible happy in the knowledge that my state premier will slam the borders shut when its appropriate. Good luck to you i hope you get to SA .

dogbox · Guru

to date we have been very lucky in this country very few people have died here compared to overseas the hospitals are coping well . soon we should have a vaccine that if the majority of people get it, should keep the corona virus under control ( we have a flu vaccine and there are still a number of people who die each year from the flu ) but we live with it

the economy is not a total train wreck we may have lost the international tourist dollar ,but people are staying in AUS and are spending their money here instead of overseas .
if we stick to the guide lines we will recover a lot sooner the only reason we have issues at the moment is because a few people think the rules don't apply to them. all cases we have now relate to people who have come back from overseas as a source
if we have no rules it will take a lot longer to get to the end an cost a lot more both in lives and money .

bgt · Guru

Dogbox a common sense response. We know what the problem is. Fix the problem and avoid shutting down the borders. Increase penalties and enforce them. Don't penalise the whole population.

landy · Guru

100 % with Outlaw and Dogbox. Like it or not the virus is here and we have to do the best we can to keep our selv's and our fellow Australians safe. I for one am very grateful for the line the Victorian government has taken with their lock down policy although it has not suited my travel agenda any more than it has anyone else's But that is the way it is. It has just been a wasted year but Mrs Landy and I are both safe and that's what counts. Wishing you all a better year in 2021 stay safe Landy.

outlaw40 · Guru

Landy the more of us that take this approach the better off we will all be . all the best for the new year to yourself and mrs Landy

bgt · Guru

Folks need to look at the figures and facts. Not just go by what the media is feeding the population. www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/provisional-mortality-statistics/latest-release

Cupie · Guru

bgt wrote:
Folks need to look at the figures and facts. Not just go by what the media is feeding the population. www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/provisional-mortality-statistics/latest-release

And the point is?

BTW thanks for posting this link. I will mark it as a favourite for future reference.

I too have great reservations about the stuff published in the popular media, especially the Murdoch controlled entities and the gaggle of Shock Jocks.

bgt · Guru

Cupie my point simply being to look at the figures. Not what the media would have us think. We are lead to believe this virus is killing Australian. Where in fact the figures show less Australians over all have die during the virus period. A bit more digging and you can find how many Australians have died 'with' covid and not 'because' of covid.

You can note on those figures that 'preventable' or 'treatable' illness such as cancer have increased. But the flu etc have decreased.

All I'm trying to do is to get folks to look at the big picture and not just the media headlines.

outlaw40 · Guru

Is it possible that the low figures of deaths and infections in Australia is due to our leaders trying to convince people to restrict there movement . Maybe these ridiculous restrictions are effective.

bgt · Guru

Outlaw40 there is no doubt the restrictions are working. But at what cost? Note that preventable or treatable deaths have risen. Why? Folk not going to GPS because of the restrictions? Maybe, maybe not. If we restrict driving then road deaths will fall. But at what cost? There's a cost for every action. Do nothing and the virus could be a real problem. Shut down and the virus isn't the problem but what about the consequences? Hard lockdown is the easy path. But is it the right path? There has to be a compromise.

dogbox · Guru

outlaw40 wrote:

Is it possible that the low figures of deaths and infections in Australia is due to our leaders trying to convince people to restrict there movement . Maybe these ridiculous restrictions are effective.

have to agree we have been curtailed in our activities an it would seem to be somewhat effective , until some person comes along an thinks the rules do not apply to them.

it would appear the most common source of contact that keeps coming up are gyms ,restaurants and places of worship

dogbox · Guru

bgt wrote:

Outlaw40 there is no doubt the restrictions are working. But at what cost? Note that preventable or treatable deaths have risen. Why? Folk not going to GPS because of the restrictions? Maybe, maybe not.

If we restrict driving then road deaths will fall. But at what cost?

There's a cost for every action. Do nothing and the virus could be a real problem. Shut down and the virus isn't the problem but what about the consequences?

Hard lockdown is the easy path. But is it the right path? There has to be a compromise.

the cost of hard lockdown in areas where clusters occur is probably less than letting this virus run loose . if we let it run wild it will be affecting our lives a lot longer at a much greater cost.

think for a moment, is there any other country in the world that you would like to be restricted in, under the present circumstances

landy · Guru

I think only the problem with lock downs is they are not being done soon enough or hard enough. If you have a problem in an area it needs to be shut off before it has a chance to spread and not let run in to school holidays when people start to travel. There's to much of a a she'll be right altitude until it isn't right and your left playing catch up. If this Sydney out break had been stepped on hard from the start, in my opinion we would not be where we are now and there may have been no need to close state Borders. Ducking for cover Landy

Tony LEE · Guru

"it would appear the most common source of contact that keeps coming up are gyms ,restaurants and places of worship"I

'd suggest that family groups are the main problem.

" think for a moment, is there any other country in the world that you would like to be restricted in, under the present circumstances"

Iceland would be my next choice. Bit cold this time of the year, but the Northern Lights make up for it.

And of course New Zealand

-- Edited by Tony LEE on Friday 1st of January 2021 02:58:13 PM

outlaw40 · Guru

Not safe anywhere www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-22/coronavirus-cases-confirmed-in-antarctica/13007596
I know this is a couple weeks old but it highlight the fact that if you allow movement then you allow the virus to move . border closures are still the best option to slow the virus in my view .
the headlines for those that dont wish to open the link.

Posted Tuesday 22 December 2020
*Coronavirus cases recorded in Antarctica at Chilean research station*
*Antarctica can no longer lay claim to being the only continent free of coronavirus after 36 Chileans tested positive for COVID-19, according to the country's military.*

msg · Guru

We need to be really strict with the quarantine of everyone entering the country. Including those who self isolate, diplomats and those who obtain special exceptions. They should be treated like everyone else.

bgt · Guru

Here's a good place to start reforming what we have at the moment. www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-03/coronavirus-sa-medi-hotel-quarantine-security-guard-breaches/13028380

"99 security guards stood down or terminated". The weak link is the international entries. I fully support Australians coming home. But PROVIDED the quarantine system works.
After the Victorian ****up you would think that hotel quarantine would now be bullet proof. Someones asleep at the wheel.

Tony Bev · Guru

bgt wrote:
OK I've been trying to get from SE Qld to SA and Vic for a few months now. I have health issues and been in and out of hospital and bed. So getting down south is already an issue for me.
But now the borders are closing again. SA has now put back up a hard border. Getting back into Qld needs a permit. Getting into Vic is anyone's guess.
Will we ever get back to 'normal'? Or will we be forever second guessing state premiers and their health advisors?
Is there any point in keeping the RV seeing we can only travel in our own state without fear of being trapped and requiring an expensive 14 day quarantine?
What happened to Australia? Are we going to live like this forever? Because the virus will be here forever. A vaccine has never worked for the flu and you cant make it compulsory. So how do we learn to live like this?
Vic and NZ have proved that hard lock downs only work short term.

Bah humbug.

Hi bgt

My opinions are

I have health issues

Sorry to hear that you have health issues

Will we ever get back to 'normal'? Or will we be forever second guessing state premiers and their health advisors?

We will get back to a type of normal one day, but I feel that we may never get back to what we once knew as normal, while Covid-19 is around
I believe that until the authorities decide to actually eliminate Covid-19, there may be worse, (no notice) border closures, local ring fencing etc

Is there any point in keeping the RV seeing we can only travel in our own state without fear of being trapped and requiring an expensive 14 day quarantine?

Yes keep the RV, I have just completed a less than 1,000 kilometre round trip, local area holiday, and enjoyed myself, stopping at places I usually drive through
Getting rid of my RV, may mean, no more RV travelling, no more future planning, and not much to look forward to

What happened to Australia? Are we going to live like this forever? Because the virus will be here forever. A vaccine has never worked for the flu and you cant make it compulsory. So how do we learn to live like this?

If for whatever reason the vaccines do not work, then there is always plan "B"
On the assumption that plan "B" is to eliminate Covid-19, in Australia, then we should not have to learn to live like this
Not sure how other countries will cope, if the vaccines fail, but I see no reason for Australia to embrace their ideology

Vic and NZ have proved that hard lock downs only work short term

My opinion is that Vic and NZ did prove that lockdowns worked, until they allowed outsiders in, to start spreading it again
We all know that around November 2020, Australia had eliminated Covid-19, we have done it once, and we can do it again

msg · Guru

Outlaw40 wrote,

"Plenty to see within any one state without leaving it . I could happily roam Qld for the next 20 years and not be worried about going to any other state . Closed borders are a Non issue if you ask me ."

Not if you live in the ACT I thought I'd check out the local camp run by Parks & Wildlife about 20mins from home. $15per person per night if you please. Long drop toilets and take your rubbish with you. WOW!!! they did provide specially marked campsites and a fairly good access road.

-- Edited by msg on Tuesday 5th of January 2021 12:59:31 PM

outlaw40 · Guru

msg wrote:
Outlaw40 wrote,

"Plenty to see within any one state without leaving it . I could happily roam Qld for the next 20 years and not be worried about going to any other state . Closed borders are a Non issue if you ask me ."
Not if you live in the ACT I thought I'd check out the local camp run by Parks & Wildlife about 20mins from home. $15per person per night if you please. Long drop toilets and take your rubbish with you. WOW!!! they did provide specially marked campsites and a fairly good access road.

I always thought ACT was a suburb of NSW

-- Edited by msg on Tuesday 5th of January 2021 12:59:31 PM