What were the first few things that you did when you’ve just arrived here in Australia? Throughout the two years that I’ve spent on preparing for our migration to Australia, I would often catch my self day dreaming about how our first moments here would be like. What actually ended up happening was so far from how I thought it would play out.
As I have mentioned in my previous posts, our migration journey to Australia has been affected by the consequences of the Coronavirus. From our experience at the airport in Brisbane to our two-week self isolation at a hotel, they’re all, should I say – unusual?
At The Brisbane Airport
Passport Control
After what felt like forever, we have finally arrived at the Brisbane airport! As we were getting off the plane, there were people waiting for us and handed us some more forms to fill out. Unfortunately, I was not able to take photos of these forms but they had something to do with COVID-19. If I remember correctly, one of them was called an Emergency Officer Direction (Check out our previous blog post to see the other forms that we needed for this trip.). We filled these forms out and headed to the arrival gates.
Australian passport holders can just easily scan their passports to get through. They can use these things called SmartGate, an e-passport self service. My husband used this and since I’m not eligible to use it, an Australian Border Force officer manually processed my arrival information. Aside from our passports, we also showed her our forms. I wasn’t really asked any questions but the person before me was asked simple questions such as his intended length of stay here in Australia. We were asked to take our masks off for a bit though just so the officer could see our faces (I think?).
COVID-19 Related Step
The airport was fairly quiet which I’m guessing was due to the travel restrictions. At the time (April 2020), there was a ‘makeshift’ area where Australian Border Force officers checked the COVID-19 related forms that we have signed. They basically just confirmed the personal details that we’ve written down and made sure that we understood that we were required to undergo a 14-day quarantine at a hotel that they have provided. They have indicated the name of the hotel in the form. They have also advised us that other than in cases of a medical emergency, that we were not allowed to leave our hotel room. That, as well as other do’s and don’ts.
Biosecurity And Customs
After collecting our baggage and having it sniffed by a handsome dog, we went to the ‘customs area’. I have declared a ‘wooden article’ on my Incoming Passenger Card as I was bringing this small wooden plaque with me (it has sentimental value). The officer simply asked what I was bringing and when I told her what it was, she said I was alright.
After all that, we were escorted to the bus that would drop us off at our designated hotel. As we were walking to it, we saw Australian soldiers standing guard on the sides of our path. I’m guessing this is to prevent anyone from not getting on the bus?
Self Isolation At A Hotel In Brisbane
The drive from the airport to the hotel didn’t take long. Our appointed quarantine hotel was the Four Points by Sheraton in Brisbane. There was a bus that was still unloading when we got there so our bus parked outside of the hotel for a couple of minutes while we were waiting for them to finish. Our bus went in front of the hotel’s entrance as soon as the other one has left. We all got out off the bus and took our baggage.
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We then lined up in front of the hotel to check-in. The hotel staff gave us information sheets about things that we’d need to know during our stay there. We also needed to fill out a simple form that was asking for our personal information as well as dietary requirements. Once done, they assigned us a room and gave us our key.
We were so tired when we got there so I went straight to bed to lay down for a couple of minutes. Because we barely ate the day before, we were starving! Since food was also provided, we tried waiting for lunch to be delivered but it took longer than we could hold out for so we just went ahead and ordered food. One of my favourite food is the original fried chicken from KFC and I weirdly wanted it to be my very first meal here in Australia. It’s just my thing, don’t judge! We also really needed to shower after that long journey.
The hotel room was spacious enough for the two of us. I actually quite liked it. As I have said, complete meals were provided everyday. If you choose to, you may even order food, groceries, or medicine from the chemist, if needed. We even ordered a sim card! Your orders will be delivered at the reception desk then the hotel staff will deliver it at your doorstep. As per the ‘protocol’, when they deliver something to your room, they will place it at the door and knock three times. After they knock, we needed to count to ten before we open the door to get whatever was delivered.
Aside from food, laundry was also provided for up to a certain limit. We also get calls from the government regularly, asking us how we’re doing and some routine questions to make sure that we’re feeling okay and that we’re following through the quarantine procedures.
If you were thinking that being quarantined in a hotel for 14 days was boring, you’re exactly right! Specially when you have been quarantined for around a month beforehand. Our routine was: wake up, wait for breakfast, eat, watch T.V. (our choices were: Aussie Gold Hunters, American Dad, Family Guy, 90 Day Fiance, and shows alike), wait for lunch, eat lunch, watch T.V., wait for dinner, eat dinner, shower, watch T.V., then sleep. We’ve repeated that for 14 days!
While we were in quarantine, my husband suffered from a toothache. I found that they were really helpful when it comes to giving assistance to us in that regard. They have arranged some sort of phone consultation with a dentist for my husband. The dentist emailed a script and the medicine that my husband needed was delivered just after thirty minutes. We were told that if it gets too much to bear, my husband will be allowed to go out , in a case of a medical emergency. Luckily it didn’t get to that point. At the end of the quarantine, we also had to fill out some more forms similar to what we had filled out at the airport.
First Impressions
As soon as I’ve stepped foot on the Australian soil, my excitement was quickly replaced by anxiety. Being that I came from an Asian country, my first ‘observation’ was that, that was the most number of Caucasians that I’ve ever seen lol. Kidding aside, I felt a little bit intimidated at first but I think that was just because I’m in an unfamiliar country. Most Aussies are quite friendly and are always seem to be willing to give a hand.
The first time that I was able to see Australia up close was during the bus ride from the airport to our hotel. Let me just say first that buses here are so different from the buses in the Philippines. To some of you, these would probably be normal but to me, aside from it being a lot cleaner and more comfortable, what surprised me the most is that seat belts are also to be used in buses! I didn’t see much of Australia on the way to the hotel but during those few minutes, I have noticed that it is a very clean country and the traffic was really good.
Conclusion
It may be unusual but all in all, it was still a positive experience. Even though it was far from what we’ve expected, we’re very thankful that despite the circumstances at the time, we were still able to come to Australia. From the way that we were assisted and cared for to the beauty that we saw through the short bus trip, this journey has just reaffirmed that we made the right decision to make Australia our home.
Disclaimer All content and information in this post is for purposes of sharing my experiences only, does not constitute professional advice and does not establish any kind of professional-client relationship.
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