Tweed residents hit out over ‘fugitives’

FURIOUS Tweed residents are claiming Queensland border rejects are hiding out in the shire as they isolate ahead of another crack at entering the state.

However, a holiday park operator has hit back, claiming the grey nomads being referred to left Victoria weeks ago and were merely holidaying on the Tweed as they normally do at this time of the year.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last week banned Victorians from entering Queensland unless they fell under strict exemptions.

More than 1000 people travelling from Victoria have been busted trying to make it through Queensland’s border force checkpoints since last Friday.

The illegal attempts have not gone unnoticed by Tweed locals, who have taken to Facebook to express concern about where the people are staying after being turned away.

Kama Dooley wrote on the Banora Point/Terranora Community News Facebook page: “When the cars are being turned around at the Queensland border (Victorian number-plated cars included) are then setting themselves up in the Tweed Shire to wait out their 14-day quarantine.

“My question/concern is if there are concerns about where they are from, then why are they all allowed to stay in the Tweed?”

Tony Winter wrote: “So many Vic licence plates around the Tweed, apparently Kingscliff and Fingal caravan parks are full of Victorians … not happy at all.”

But Tweed Coast Holiday Parks co-ordinator Andrew Illingworth, who oversees seven sites between Pottsville and Tweed Heads, welcomed his influx of interstate visitors.

He said all visitors to his parks had to complete a declaration stating they had not been in a COVID-19 hot spot in the past 14 days.

“Most of the travellers we get up here are from regional Victoria and are not from designated hot spots,” Mr Illingworth said.

“As an operator, visitors from Victoria are welcome to stay, as long as they’re not coming from a hot spot, but you can’t stay in one of our caravan parks to bide your time until you can cross the border.”

A spokesman for Tyalgum Showgrounds rejected Facebook rumours the grounds were housing Victorians.

“We haven’t got anyone ‘hiding out’ here,” he said.

“We did have a load of travellers from Victoria. They filled us right up, but by the 11th (of July), they were all gone.”