‘It’s amazing’: Dozens cross WA’s border with Northern Territory near Kununurra as hard border comes down

After almost 700 days of dealing with the strictest border controls in the country, the East Kimberley was finally re-opened to the Northern Territory on Thursday, in what’s hoped will mark the end of a difficult chapter for the region. Dozens of returning WA residents, essential workers, and tourists crossed the Kununurra border checkpoint during the first day of the State’s relaxed border conditions, relieved they no longer needed to meet stringent re-entry and quarantine requirements. Rex and Judy Booth were among those to cross into the Kimberley on Thursday morning, after an extended stint in the Top End. The Geraldton residents left WA in April and have been staying with family in the NT to avoid paying hefty quarantine costs upon re-entry. “We couldn’t afford to quarantine because it was going to cost about $2500 so we were just waiting for when we could come through and not quarantine,” Ms Booth said. Queenslander Thomas Stocker was itching to cross into the State to start his new job as a ringer at Sophie Downs Station near Halls Creek. Pastoralists across WA’s north have been desperate to access East Coast workers for the upcoming year, with severe staffing shortages in WA. Mr Stocker was planning to arrive in the Kimberley earlier to prepare for the mustering season at the end of March, but was held up by the delay to WA’s reopening. He said the State’s tough border restrictions had been difficult to navigate, but he was relieved to finally be able to start work in the East Kimberley. “The border did put me off but I reckoned I may as well go through with it because it was worth the trouble,” he said. “It seemed like a good place to come and I’ve never been here before.” Interstate tourists Inge Bakker and Adrian Swift were headed for Lake Argyle after several attempts at holidaying in WA over the past six months. The Victorians were planning to cross into WA on February 5 but had to alter their plans and travelled through New South Wales, Queensland, and the Top End while waiting for relaxed entry conditions. “It’s amazing, we’ve been wanting to do this for half a year and we couldn’t; we had two holidays with flights cancelled to Busselton because of COVID so now we’re finally going to do it in the car,” Ms Bakker said. “I’m glad it’s opening, I think it’s been closed too long here in WA.”