Trapped in paradise: Young backpackers stranded on remote Pacific island are adopted by the locals but still desperate to find a way to get back home
- Backpackers on Lord Howe Island chose to stay when pandemic emerged
- They have been adopted by locals and are enjoying their isolation in paradise
- Most working travelers left the island when the pandemic hit in March
- Island has white sandy beached, clear waters and community of just 350 people
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A group of backpackers have found themselves stranded on a remote and idyllic Pacific island due to the coronavirus pandemic, but are making the most of their isolation.
While most far-flung travelers and expats scrambled back to their home countries when the coronavirus pandemic began to spread around the world, a hardy group of international backpackers chose to stick it out on Lord Howe Island, 600 kilometres off Australia's east coast.
The island has shut its doors to tourists, leaving little-to-no employment opportunities for the young travelers, some of whom are stuck without sufficient funds to fly to Australia and pay for accommodation there.
Backpackers stranded on a remote pacific island with incredible views have been adopted by locals and are enjoying isolation. Pictured is Californian woman Julia Donath
A small group of young backpackers chose to stay on the tiny Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea off Port Macquarie when the coronavirus pandemic began
The picture-postcard Pacific island has white sandy beaches, crystal blue clear waters and a warm-subtropical climate, and a permanent community of only 350 people.
Mauricio Auguin and his girlfriend Paula Nas, both from Chile, were supposed to leave the island this month.
'Our boss provide us housing, so we can stay here for free — working for accommodation,' Mr Auguin told the ABC.
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'Coming back to the mainland before our plane back [home] would be very risky because of the cost — housing and food maybe would be more expensive for us.'
The backpackers have received a warm welcome from locals who are happy for them to stay longer.
'We're not Australians and they're doing very nice things with us, and so we're really grateful for that,' he said.
Californian woman Julian Donath (pictured top right with other backpackers) had plans to complete a four-month dive master training internship on Lord Howe Island when she arrived in February
The island has white sandy beaches, crystal blue clear waters and a warm-subtropical climate, with a community of only 350 people. Pictured: Staff at Pro Dive Lord Howe Island
But the couple are still eager to get home and are nervous about making the trip back to Chile.
Californian woman Julian Donath had planned to complete a four-month dive master training internship on Lord Howe Island when she arrived in February.
But two months into the training the island shutdown and closed its borders.
Ms Donath said the reality of what was happening and the coronavirus pandemic didn't hit until the island completely locked down.
Ms Donath said the reality of what was happening and the coronavirus pandemic didn't hit until the island completely locked down
Ms Donath (right) was given just two days to decide whether she was going to stay on the island and see out the pandemic, or book an emergency flight home
She was then given just two days to decide whether she was going to stay on the island and see out the pandemic, or book an emergency flight home.
Initially she had planned to go back to the United States because the pandemic was unpredictable.
'I had friends who packed in a span of 20 minutes and left the island right away — definitely some panic setting in,' she said.
Ms Donath described it as a 'max exodus' of the island with most people packing up and leaving within just one week.
She was advised by the US Embassy it would be in her best interest to go home but the young woman decided to stay behind on the island.
Community members have been worried about the backpackers' safety and assured they have been taken care of
Australia's Lord Howe Island (pictured) has been named fifth in the world's Top 10 Regions list in Lonely Planet's Best In Travel 2020 book
Chilean hospitality workers Alexis Yoli and his partner Denisse Leyton were planning on going to the mainland during the off-season, which runs from May to September.
Now the couple have been forced to stay on the island indefinitely.
Ms Leyton said the uncertainty has been a 'rollercoaster', and the difficulty of weighing up official advice to return home.
But with uncertainty about visas a small group of people have chosen to stay as Ms Yoli believed it was the couple's best option.
The island was ranked fifth in the world's Top 10 Regions list in Lonely Planet's Best In Travel 2020 book.
Roughly 600km off the New South Wales coast, the remote island is known for its white sand beaches, subtropical forests and crystal clear waters filled with coral reef
Despite being just 11km long and 2km wide, Lord Howe Island is home to some of the world's best hike and cycle trails, as well as world-class scuba diving and snorkelling spots
Sitting between Australia and New Zealand, the island is hailed as an 'unspoiled paradise' just a two-hour flight from Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport.
Lonely Planet lauds Lord Howe Island as a 'shining example of sustainably managed tourism', as it allows just 400 visitors at any one time.
Despite being just 11 kilometres long and 2 kilometres wide, the island is home to some of the world's best hike and cycle trails, and boasts world-class snorkelling and scuba diving sites around the nearby Admiralty Islands.
Nearly two thirds of the island is a protected 'Permanent Park Preserve'.
Lord Howe is also a desirable fishing destination thanks to a ban on commercial fishery, with the surrounding waters being home to over 500 species of fish and 90 forms of coral.
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