The country town of Bunyip is almost 100km from Melbourne and has had just one case of coronavirus during the pandemic. So why is it in stage 4 lockdown?
It has a population of about 2,500, made up mostly of families with kids.
"We understand the reasons for the restrictions, we just don't understand why we're considered part of metropolitan Melbourne," Brad says. Out in the empty paddocks, the farmers like to joke, 'Gee, it's quiet in metropolitan Melbourne today'. A kind of laugh-to-keep-from-crying humour. It's where all the high schools are for kids in Bunyip. It's where the big supermarket chains are, where many do their weekly shop. It has the retail, the parks, the restaurants and arts centre.The problem? Warragul and Drouin sit just over the border in "regional Victoria".And as of this week, anyone from Bunyip caught crossing that divide without permission will cop a $4,957 fine.
And under current restrictions, Brad says the kids who live there wouldn't be able to play with their mates in the local cricket league because it's based out of Warragul."That's when it becomes the issue, when they are getting the rewards of their efforts," Emma says."If they look at the statistics, we're within our right to say we should be considered regional because we've done the right thing.
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