Sina Mario returns to family in Tamworth after spending months trapped in San Francisco

Arriving in San Francisco to help her mother cope with the loss her husband, Ms Mario had planned to stay for "just a few weeks" and then return to Australia via hotel quarantine.

But it was not to be. Like so many other Australians she was 'trapped' abroad and it was only on Monday that she touched back down in Tamworth and was finally able to hug her partner, Phil Browne, and hold their dog Marley again.

She said the entire saga had been "emotionally draining" and it was an incredible relief to be back home.

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"We're a relatively young couple, so I think there was a strain on keeping that close connection emotionally while we were distant, so that was really hard," she said.

"I found that really difficult because we just moved to Tamworth, we bought a new house, we got a dog and we were planning on having a baby.

"The plan for me to go to the funeral was just for a few weeks, at max three months, so it was really hard knowing that plan could fall through to come back and have a family."

Ms Mario had tried several times to find a way to get back to Australia.

On multiple occasions she thought an option had opened up, first through Singapore and then Fiji. But to no avail.

While she was still surrounded by family in the US, and was able to continue studying her law degree at the University of Sydney online, things became very difficult for Mr Browne back home.

When lockdown hit, he was cut off from friends and working from home.

He said, had it not been for their beloved cavoodle, he doesn't know what he would have done.

"I was in this house on my own, and I'm glad I had my dog here otherwise I would have been really lonely," he said.

"Being in lockdown on your own can be quite challenging, so it was tough for both of us."

Back on home soil the airport reunion was also a COVID-safe affair.

Ms Mario just happy to be back in Tamworth with her partner and beloved pet.

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