We got our travel exemption, Visas for the family, flights (purchased with Fulbright funds + miles + out of pocket costs), travel declarations made between 7 days and 72 hours ahead of travel, COVID-19 (negative) tests within 72 hours of travel. We studied all about the mandatory quarantine: MUST quarantine at the first Australia port-of-entry for 14 nights (15 days) and pay the out of pocket costs as Fulbright would not reimburse this cost (~$4,500 total), there is no upgrading or choosing the quarantine hotel - the local police assigns each individual/group on arrival. Once in quarantine, no one can leave the room; balconies are available in some locations but not guaranteed. Each state of Australia regulates how the food is distributed during quarantine - New South Wales (Sydney) allows the hotel to cater the food services so the food quality has been described as hit and miss. UberEats plus grocery/alcohol delivery services are allowed, but some hotels restrict the frequency of food and/or other deliveries to minimize COVID contacts. As a result of this uncertainty, we researched what types of snack foods we could bring into quarantine as a back-up since the kids are so extremely picky. With the Australian COVID-19 procedures being so strict, we didn't want to count on being able have plentiful deliveries, just in case. Also, there's essentially no exemption to quarantine - everyone must quarantine even if fully vaccinated.
28 June 15:12 - NSW: Sydney outbreak of COVID-19 has grown to 124 cases tracked from an infected flight attendant on Virgin Australian Airlines. Sydney is currently in a weeklong lockdown in response. As a domino effect of this outbreak, South Australia (our final destination) is in Level 6 control = no inbound travel. We are trying to remain optimistic that these tight restrictions will be loosened by the time we leave quarantine. Fingers crossed that we will be able to travel on to Adelaide without the dreaded double quarantine! Rumor has it that we can remain in the "quarantine bubble" if we leave our quarantine hotel fully masked, travel in a private car to Sydney airport without stops on the way to Adelaide then we should be cleared to enter South Australia.