Pandemic run down to the border

As the politicians continue to argue over opening closed borders, we thought we would try a hump-day run down to the Queensland border to see what all the fuss was about.

NSW, Victoria and the ACT have never closed their borders due to the pandemic. And from June 1, NSW/ACT riders will be able to travel anywhere within their state for a holiday or road trip!

All other mainland borders are closed, but that still means you can leave a closed state and go into an open state.

It’s just that you might have difficulty getting back to your home state!

For example, Queenslanders need a special entry permit issued for necessary travel only and may still be required to quarantine for 14 days on return.

For me and my mate, Blood Bikes Australia funder Peter Davis, that ruled out a quick day trip to NSW to enjoy those sensational roads of the Northern Rivers.

Legal border ride

However, we still enjoyed a legal ride within our 150km limit to two inland borders.

First we headed to the Lions Rd where there are barricades at the border to prevent anyone crossing from either side.

The benefit is that there is virtually no traffic on the temporary dead-end road.

That means no slow-moving tourists or double white lines to interrupt your flow.

You still have to watch out for errant cattle on the road, though.

We then scooted across through Rathdowney for a coffee before heading down the Mt Lindesay Highway to our second interstate confrontation.

Here the border is open and traffic can freely flow through to NSW.

However, you can’t come back into Queensland without the police checking your permit.

We got to the border and asked the Queensland Police officer on duty where we could turn around as there were witches’ hats and solid white lines everywhere.

He was not in good humour and abused us for riding to the crossing, saying “don’t come back again”.

However, there is nothing in the rules against riding to the border!

All the same, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Apart from the bad-humoured cop who just may try to slap you with a $66+k fine, we also came across a substantial number of trucks using this open border.

Still, it was a great day’s ride aboard the Harley-Davidson Road King through some beautiful countryside under steely-grey skies!

Official health sites

These are the official rules for your state or territory:

• Australian Capital Territory: ACT Government Health
• New South Wales: NSW Government Health
• Northern Territory: Northern Territory Government
• Queensland: Queensland Government
• South Australia: Government of South Australia SA Health
• Tasmania: Tasmanian Government Department of Health
• Victoria: Victoria State Government Health and Human Services
• Western Australia: Government of Western Australia Department of Health