HELP- We Are In Quarantine!
HELP- We Are In Quarantine…..
After our stay in Eden NSW we were sad to leave but happy and excited to get on the road to our next stop. Pack up day is always exciting, it means that we are going to a new destination and a new place of adventure. New memories here we come! The family is always a little excited, for us it is the feeling of going on holiday….excitement butterflies fill the stomach.
So the big question is- How did we end up in Quarantine WITHOUT CROSSING A BORDER?
We had spent one week of the school holidays here at Ulladulla Holiday Haven. The place was amazing! The view from our van was overlooking the beach and there was plenty to do here for the kids. Highly recommend this caravan park if you are passing through.
It was pack up day and we were minutes from leaving, about to head off to our next destination. I was just locking the van and I received a text message from the NSW Health Department. This was NOT a message I was expecting at all. It was a message letting us know that we MUST quarantine IMMEDIATELY and not leave our van for 14 days. I was in shock, we were in shock. We didn’t know what had happened or what to do.
Upon further investigation we realised that the problem had been 6 days before arriving at Ulladulla Holiday Haven. On our way we had stopped at Bateman’s Bay Soldier’s Club for lunch. Top spot and we enjoyed a very tasty lunch there. It was only when we received the text message that we had been informed that the staff at the venue had been tested for COVID and tested positive. There was now a chance that we might have contracted the disease.
THIS PUT A SPANNER IN THE WORKS………..
I immediately rang the COVID hotline and asked for more details about where and how we could quarantine inside the van. We decided we were going to do our 14 days inside the van but the only thing stopping us was the emptying of the toilet cassette. We soon realised that quarantining in the van was not possible. The COVID helpline were meant to ring us back about different options for us but on all occasions they failed to do this.
Where Did We Stay?
We took it upon ourselves to find an alternate place to stay. We first needed to let the managers of the park know what was going on. This would mean heartbreak for their business if we all tested positive for COVID. But we had to bite the bullet and tell them. To our delight they were understanding and offered us a 2 bedroom, fully self contained cabin at no cost to us for our quarantine stay. There was a saint and the manager was it!!!!
Within one hour we had packed all clothes and things that we would need for our stay out of the caravan. Gosh we did well. High fives to us……we did not forget one thing. It pays to travel light!
We then moved into our new spacious home.
Our first night was the start of many great ones. We only seen the upside of being in quarantine. We had separate bedrooms…..SEPARATE BEDROOMS!!!! That meant Dan and I had a door that locked too….The kids had a bunk bed each and were stoked with the cool little nooks that came with each bunk. We had plenty of living space which included a dining table, large couch, TV, large kitchen area, bathroom with a spa bath and separate toilet. It honestly felt like a little bit of luxury. You can never underestimate space after a long time of living in the van.
The next day we had the dreaded test! Yes we were allowed to leave the park to drive to the hospital but that was it. The test was brutal and ugly. The kids did not handle this well and had to held down by both of us. The very long cotton bud is inserted up one nostril and it feels like it touches the brain. But the end result was NEGATIVE and that’s all that matters really.
What Did We Do?
During our stay we played board games, watched Netflix, cooked cupcakes and chilled nearly everyday. We ordered our food through the Woolworths online service and the park manger dropped it off to our door. Our washing was done in the spa bath with some washing liquid. During our stay we had a major storm that hit Ulladulla. The power went out and trees were falling around us. We had NEVER seen a storm like this in our lifetime and it was special to sit back and watch. As that was really all we could do, it was a real treat to watch nature do it’s thing and we enjoyed it without feeling like the rain had ruined our day of exploring.
So all in all our stay was pleasant. Unexpected but pleasant. The staff at the Ulladulla Holiday Haven were more than amazing and helped us in such a way that words cannot describe how much it meant to us.
The last day of our quarantine we all woke up a little giddy. The freedom to be able to go for a walk was great! The kids rode their bikes and we began to pack up the van as we were eager to get back on the road. We had our missed our tiny home on wheels and appreciated having our home and freedom back.
So where did we go next? Well as NSW were starting to close off regions and declare certain spots as hotspots we decided our best decision was to head straight for Queensland. And that we did. In two days we drove for 8 hours and straight across the Queensland border. We will come back to NSW at the beginning of 2021 to explore the beautiful state.
Kylie and Dan
Fearlessly Living and Exploring