While the southern states have now largely eliminated community transmission of Covid-19, the uncertainty caused by the pandemic is continuing to result in a ‘tropical travel boom’.
Grey nomads and others are apparently extending their stays in the north despite the searing temperatures, the soaring humidity, and the torrential downpours.
The ABC spoke to one man who has been travelling Australia in his van for four years and is back in the Gulf of Carpentaria, despite being cut off by flood waters there last year.
“I knew about the wet season up north, but I wasn’t expecting areas like Doomadgee to be completely cut off from the outside world,” said Adam Kavanagh. “It definitely caught me off guard.”
However, Mr Kavanagh is back in Doomadgee for another wet season.
“I hadn’t really planned to be up in the Gulf this time of year again, it just lined up that way,” he said. “But it’s a bonus because the hunting and fishing is great in the wet.”
The ABC reports that areas like the Gulf of Carpentaria are still seeing plenty of tourists, despite the predicted La Nina wet season,
“In all my time travelling in Australia I’ve never seen this amount of tourists still travelling in the heat and the wet,” Mr Kavanagh said. “I guess it’s a bit more the hardcore grey nomads still travelling.”
Carpentaria Shire Council tourism manager Verena Olesch told the ABC that the easing state border restrictions had created a longer tourist season for towns like Karumba.
“There’s a lot of press around predicting cyclones around this area, but tourists are still coming — about a dozen a day,” Ms Olesch said. “I think everyone is quite aware of the social distancing factor and people are wanting to get away from the cities.”
She said that the fact that New South Wales and Victorian tourists could now book meant much higher tourist numbers were now expected next year.
One of those enjoying the topical sunshine will no doubt be grey nomad Patrick Barry who told us earlier this year about the joys of travelling in the north out of season.
Good on them. A north wet season brings new sights and attractions
Enjoy