A CAMPERDOWN couple who drove home from QLD when the borders closed has told of confusion and mayhem around the closures and orders to isolate at home.
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Anthony and Rebecca Mitchell went to QLD on December 26 for their annual holiday.
Mr Mitchell said once they heard the press conference on December 31 that Victoria would close its border with New South Wales at midnight and people who arrived home after the deadline would need to isolate at home for 14 days they made the decision to head home.
The couple drove through the night via NSW stopping only at Dubbo for fuel.
Mr Mitchell said it took about 15 hours get to Tocumal on the Victorian border at 7am.
"We missed the first deadline," he said.
"We had eight hours to get through New South Wales which is impossible.
"The announcement was at 3.30pm in the afternoon and we had until midnight that night to avoid going into isolation. It just wasn't going to happen.
"It was just mayhem.
"We probably saw about 500 other Victorians on the road doing the same thing, nearly every car on the road was Victorian.
"We didn't have to wait too long at the border went through Tocumal."
Mr Mitchell said when they got to the border a police officer advised there was no need for them to isolate.
But the couple checked and were eventually told by staff at the Warrnambool testing clinic that they did need to isolate for two weeks at home and have two COVID-19 tests.
"We're halfway through quarantine," he said.
"We have our second test on Tuesday.
"Luckily we called the Warrnambool testing clinic and they gave us the right info."
Mr Mitchell also said there was confusion given prior to Friday some people had been given a permit to travel through NSW and not quarantine at home and he and his wife had not been eligible for the permit.
"We took the punt thinking we'll go just after Christmas (for their holiday)," he said.
"We thought 'yeah we'll be right' but sure enough we weren't.
"If you were anywhere past the halfway point of New South Wales you couldn't make it."
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