During the first months of COVID-19 restrictions, AusCamp checked in with partners who had helped support its Central Australia journeys over many years. The Marree Hotel was one of those familiar stops.
Joe Calvert and Jess Williams described a hotel that had been prepared for another busy season before restrictions brought travel to a halt. Staff plans changed, community events paused and the district moved into a different kind of isolation.
The dispatch also carried a strong sense of resilience. Local conversations continued by phone, people looked after each other, and the hope remained that travellers would return when it was safe to explore the Outback again.
This article remains in the Insights archive as a record of the relationships behind AusCamp’s journey programs and the communities connected to them.