Trio of border hoppers are found inside an Outback karaoke bar at midnight after breaking the law to fly from NSW into SA on a private plane
- Three travelers were arrested in an Outback town after breaking border rules
- The man and two women flew in a light plane from NSW to Coober Pedy
- After being denied entry to the Northern Territory they flew back to the town
- They were tracked down by authorities at a local karaoke bar early on Saturday
A man and two women have been nabbed in a karaoke bar in outback South Australia after breaking border restrictions by flying in on a light plane from regional New South Wales.
SA Police said they were notified on Friday that the private plane, a Cessna with a pilot and two passengers, attempted to land in the Northern Territory on Friday, but was denied entry.
They allege the plane departed Griffith, in NSW’s Riverina region, on Thursday and first landed in Coober Pedy against cross-border directions.
The trio shared a photo on the runway in the NSW Hunter Valley region on Wednesday (pictured)
They allegedly flew to the outback town of Coober Pedy and then tried to fly to the Northern Territory but were denied access
‘The group then attempted to enter the Northern Territory on Friday but were denied and returned to Coober Pedy, again in breach of cross border directions,’ police said in a statement in Saturday.
‘Coober Pedy Police were tasked to locate the travellers and identify where they had been to assess the risk posed to our vulnerable outback communities.’
Officers tracked them down to a local karaoke bar just after midnight.
The trio – a 27-year-old man and two women, aged 21 and 39 – were charged with failing to comply with the Emergency Management Act.
The group posted photos and videos to social media detailing their alleged border-busting trip which one described as an ‘absolute dream’.
The man and two women (pictured) in their 20s and 30s were charged with failing to comply with an Emergency Management Act
The trio pose for a photo in the Cessna (pictured)
One post showed a video of Uluru filmed from the air as they flew over central Australia.
Another post showed the three next to their light plane before take-off in NSW’s Hunter Valley on Wednesday.
They also visited Prominent Hill copper and gold mine in SA and Broken Hill on their way to the Northern Territory.
They were refused police bail and will appear in the Magistrates Court on Monday.
South Australia has reported two new cases of Covid – a woman in her 30s and another woman in her 40s.
SA Health said both women acquired their infections overseas and have been in medi-hotels since their arrival.
South Australia closed their border to NSW – except for an area within 100km of the border – this week in response to a Covid cluster emerging in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in mid-June which sits at more than 60 cases.
The trio posted photos and video of their alleged border hopping trip online (pictured)