DARETON police Inspector Darren Brand has encouraged Victorians visiting New South Wales to pack their bags and head back home to avoid any inconvenience after Tuesday night’s border closures.
Insp. Brand said that while details about the border closure and conditions were still to be made public, anyone intending to return to their home state should do so now.
“I became aware this morning of the plan and direction from the Premier that the border would be closed from midnight tomorrow,” Insp. Brand said.
“Planning is under way and I’d just encourage people that if you’re from Victoria and you’re in New South Wales, if you’re able to, return to Victoria before the border closures to avoid any inconvenience,” he said.
“I know the NSW borders with Victoria will be closed from midnight Tuesday and at this stage there’s a lot of planning around the logistics that need to go into place now.
“How we staff that and which bridges are closed and manned and which ones are closed and just closed, we’re literally working through all that now.”
Insp. Brand said preparations around the new measures were “very much a works in progress” and he was still awaiting details whether the closures would impact on motorists travelling in both directions.
He said that on a three-hour journey from Broken Hill to Wentworth last week he passed 47 Victorian-registered cars with caravans heading north.
“I’m none the wiser at this stage as to whether or not we’ll be preventing traffic going in to Victoria or preventing traffic coming in to New South Wales from Victoria and I don’t know if it’s both ways,” he said.
“We would say if you are a Victorian resident in New South Wales now then now’s the time to pack up your van and start heading home just to avoid inconvenience at a later stage.”
