Gnaraloo to become safe haven

A picturesque pastoral station will be a safe haven for stranded nomads to wait out the coronavirus pandemic.

Nestled among the Ningaloo pastoral region, the Gnaraloo Station, 150km north of Carnarvon, sits on 88,000 hectares of land and is offering travellers the chance to stay while border restrictions are in place.

The park has room for 200 guests between the Three Mile Camp and Gnaraloo Homestead.

The site is self-sufficient with about 300,000 litres of potable water, nine independent generators, 20,000 litres of diesel, and 4000 litres of unleaded petrol.

Station manager Paul Richardson said the purpose of the bubble was to offer sanctuary for travellers who have no homes or are unable to leave the State.

“When everyone was told to go home, that’s all well and good if you have a home, but where do you go if you don’t have a home,” he said.

Mr Richardson said there were strict precautions in place for people hoping to stay at the park, which would cost.

“You have to have been in the Gascoyne, you have to be self-sufficient, and you must not have been in contact with anyone from overseas in the last 14 days,” he said.

Mr Richardson said the camp facilities had also been adjusted to ensure social distancing.

“Ablution blocks have been established with a single one-way entry and exit points, and guests won’t be able to enter from the outside or any of the cubicles if someone is in the basin foyer,” he said.

Mr Richardson said guests would have to self isolate for 14 days once they enter the station and attend daily morning Infrared Forehead Temperature Check and COVID-19 Symptom Questionnaire.

“We have secured three wholesale food services from Perth, so we are going to bring the food straight from Perth to Gnaraloo; that way we do not impact on local food services,” he said.

“We have two flying doctors boxes on site, one at Homestead and one at three-mile camp, and I have special permission from BLC to procure an oxygen bottle.”

Mr Richardson said once the bubble closed, no one else would be allowed in, but residents would be able to leave at any point in time they choose.