There are long queues at the border into Victoria this morning as residents rush to escape New South Wales before a hard closure comes into effect tonight.
The border will shut at midnight as Victoria moves to protect its residents from growing COVID-19 cases across Sydney.
One couple chose to drive through the night from Port Macquarie in NSW to return to their home in Melbourne, more than 1200km away.
Another fled Newcastle to make the border crossing before the closure, with delays reported to be five hours in some places.
"It's been a bit of a stress trying to get across the border but hopefully we can avoid going into quarantine," the man said, when stopped at the checkpoint near Albury-Wodonga.
At the border town of Mulwala, traffic jams last night stretched back more than 3km as drivers patiently waited to cross into Yarrawonga.
Residents returning to Victoria today will have to undergo a COVID-19 test on arrival and quarantine at their home for 14 days, but from tomorrow, Victorians crossing the border will have to enter two weeks of mandatory hotel quarantine.
READ MORE: Australia's domestic border restrictions explained: State-by-state breakdown
It comes after Victoria recorded eight confirmed cases linked to the Sydney outbreak. Long queues are likely to form at testing clinics in Victoria today as contact tracers rush to get on top of the emerging cluster there.
https://twitter.com/FoottZane/status/1344563382981021696Western Australia has also brought back its hard border with Victoria. People travelling from Victoria will no longer be able to enter the state unless they have an exemption.
Travellers asked about the abrupt closure described it as "shattering".
"Devastated. Yeah, very, very upset. Going to a hotel for 24 hours and we're on the first flight back to Melbourne. Shame," one told 9News.
"After the year that we've had in Victoria, to then get told this is, yeah, just shattering."
Western Australia's border is currently closed to New South Wales, except for those who have exemptions.
In Queensland, similar scenes are playing out at borders as a fifth checkpoint is due to open tomorrow to ease traffic congestion.
There is now speculation Queensland may tighten its border restrictions with NSW in the coming days as the state attempts to remain COVID-free.
The additional checkpoint, at Numinbah on the Gold Coast, will operate between the hours of 8am and 4pm only unlike the four others which are 24 hours.
Police in Queensland say they have turned away 374 cars and more than 800 people from suspected COVID-19 hotspots in NSW since the hard border closure came into place on December 18.
A border closure is now in place in South Australia, banning anyone from NSW unless they have an exemption.
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