In December 2020, we spent four nights in Hobart, Tasmania, coming back just before Tasmania shut its borders to would-be NSW travellers. If we had postponed the travel for a week or so, it would have been impossible.
In May of 2021, mum was intent on taking in the Gold Coast, and I wasn't about to miss a domestic adventure, even though the uncertainty about border closures was still very much in the air. We spent four nights there too, and I updated my knowledge on Queensland - it may be lagging behind NSW and VIC in terms of progressive politics, but it has its fare share of rebels and counter-culture types. Walking around Surfer's Paradise, there was often a person with colourful hair or a piercing within sight.
Again: QLD barred interstate travel very shortly after we left.
Finally, after a lot of hesitation, we decided to be daredevils and fly to Melbourne this December, just as Omicron was gathering pace in both the nation's biggest cities. We stayed five nights in the CBD, enjoying the relatively relaxed pace, the user-friendly trams and urban design, good food and the coffee at Brunetti.
Not even a week later, airline staff got sick with Covid en masse, and many flights were cancelled, particularly from Melbourne and Sydney. The notice given to passengers was less than 24 hours, and that could have been us if we'd tweaked our travel dates slightly.
My pandemic experience has been softened, enlightened and made more manageable by these diverse Australian experiences... I can't deny that they were a risky undertaking, but hey - we only live once!
I hope next year brings travel of the international variety. In the meantime, I'm grateful for what I've had.
