COVID-19: Rob Aitchison calls Uralla Caravan Park home during lockdown

But his big adventure has ground to a halt in Uralla.

"If there wasn't a lockdown, I wouldn't be here, but it's not the end of the world," he said."

"It's not super critical for me; it's just a bit of a pain in the neck."

Rob had occasionally been labouring on properties along the way to supplement his funds while travelling and had spent three weeks before lockdown on a property outside of Uralla.

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"When the regional NSW lockdown word came, I packed up and moved into the caravan park so I wouldn't be a burden on the bloke I was working for, and here I am, and who knows when I can leave," he said.

"I am an agricultural worker - so an essential worker as far as I understand, but I have to have a guaranteed job to go to before I can move. I can't just drive around looking for work under lockdown."

The rough plan was to head out west and try and get a bit of harvest work, Rob said, adding he was keen to go travelling around the Darling River area.

"There are lots of jobs out there, but I don't want to sign up with a massive harvest contractor because I'm just shy of 60 and don't want to work 16 hours a day for the next three months," he said.

"I'd rather just do a bit of work here and there for farmers helping out around the property. And I don't want to sign up with a company and then ditch the job a week later because I've got a better job."

Rob had packed up his home and was about to put it on the market when Sydney went into lockdown, so he delayed for two weeks, but as he didn't have a job in Coffs Harbour and regional NSW wasn't in lockdown, he figured he'd travel and make a bit of money.

"Last year, I did a similar thing for five months to go to Adelaide to visit my parents, so I thought I'd do it again this year but for longer, but I don't think South Australia will open until next year," he said.

"There was a bit of this lockdown stuff happening last year when I was travelling, but it wasn't as severe as this. I listen to the news every day, but it just seems to be getting worse."

Rob says he is fully vaccinated, so he isn't worried about catching COVID-19, but he is concerned about being exposed to it.

"The thing I fear most is if I go into a service station or a shop and someone who had COVID was there, you have to go into isolation for two weeks," he said. "You're found guilty by association."

But on the whole, he says he's making things work, and life's pretty good.

"I probably picked the worst time in the last 10 years to do it," Rob said. "But there's no mental health problems going on here."

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