After almost a week stranded at the Victorian-NSW border, 100 ACT residents can begin their journey home from Thursday morning.
Anne Cahill-Lambert and her husband Rod, who had just finished a contract as a locum doctor at a Victorian hospital, were raring to go on Thursday morning after a six-day impasse between the NSW and ACT governments.
Last Friday, a sudden change to NSW border restrictions left dozens of ACT residents stranded after their permits were cancelled.
"We travelled from Benalla this morning, the sun is just starting to shine and probably the birds are singing," she said.
"We'll fill up at the last petrol station before we cross the border, even though we're just about full but you never know what might happen."
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It was a half-hour "palaver" at the border crossing, Ms Cahill-Lambert said, but they got through just before 10am.
"It was quite a process, despite NSW telling the ACT all we need to get through were our ACT authorisation passes, in fact they were doing a full clinical assessment as well as collecting your details for the Department of Health," she said.
She was then handed a 10-page document outlining the rules they would have to follow on their journey.
"I'm reading those as I'm driving," Ms Cahill-Lambert said.
"They're lovely people and they were doing that what they were told to, it's just a bureaucratic nightmare."
"We're through and I'm very glad. We're on our way now to the golden arches at South Gundagai."
"It will be great to be home."
The drivers can only travel between 9am and 3pm from Thursday to Monday.
They were issued with new ACT entry certificates which would allow them through the NSW border checkpoint.
They must take a direct route along the Hume Highway and cannot stop to refuel.
A rest stop at South Gundagai McDonald's has been allowed to break-up the three-and-a-half hour journey.
It took six days for the NSW government to approve a plan to allow the stranded residents safe passage to the ACT.
They will be required to check in with ACT Health at Hall before 3pm and will then enter 14-days isolation.
