Regional Holidays within NSW Will Be Allowed from June 1
Time to start planning a getaway.
If you've been dreaming of a getaway in a cabin on the snow, a multi-day hiking adventure or a weekend in a luxe glamping resort since the lockdown began in late March, you'll be happy to know your dreams are one step closer to becoming a reality, with the news that holidays within NSW are set to be allowed from June 1.
According to the ABC, the NSW Government has today, Tuesday, May 19, confirmed that regional travel within the state will be allowed "for any reason" from the first of next month. Just in time for the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend — and the start of the snow season.
The NSW snow season was scheduled to kick off on June 6, and the Australian Ski Areas Association is hopeful it'll be able to proceed as planned. If it does, though, it's likely there'll be new reduced limits on the number of people allowed inside resorts and restaurants, in line with the Federal Government's three-step road map, which suggests gatherings of a maximum of 100 people in its final step.
NSW's new restrictions — introduced on May 15 — currently allow for outdoor gatherings of up to ten.
If Perisher and Thredbo do open, it looks like there'll be plenty of snow, with the slopes already looking like this:
While regional travel for Sydneysiders will be on the cards in just two weeks, it's likely crossing the border will still be a few months off. Queensland's Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Monday that reopening for interstate travel might not happen till September, a sentiment echoed today by South Australia's Premier Steven Marshall.
Staying local for now, though, isn't such a bad thing with many of NSW's regions hit with a double whammy of devastating bushfires and COVID-19, and desperate for visitors to come with an #emptyesky.
It's expected Premier Gladys Berejiklian will make an official announcement about regional travel within NSW tomorrow. For now, though, it's time to start planning.
Top image: Thredbo
