Australians to be evacuated from Bali amid huge coronavirus outbreak, but not

About 200 Australians are due to fly out of coronavirus-struck Bali today on board a special repatriation flight organised by the federal government. 

Almost 800 Australians registered their interest to leave Indonesia with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT).

But only those considered most vulnerable for health, financial or visa reasons secured seats on today’s flight. 

Among the lucky few is the Sutherland family. 

For 25 years, Bali has been home for Georgia and Hamish Sutherland. The couple first met on Kuta Beach in 1996 and later married on the island. 

Their three children, now 14, 12 and 10, have grown up in Bali and been students at the Bali International School where Mr Sutherland was a teacher for 21 years.

Their mother Georgia owns and runs several day spas. 

“We have loved our lives here,” Ms Sunderland said. 

“We love the Balinese, love their spirituality, everything about this island.” 

But as the pandemic devastated Bali’s economy and forced their children to be home-schooled for months, the Sutherlands decided it was time to leave. 

They originally attempted to come back to Australia in July. 

But their flight was suddenly cancelled, and other commercial flights began drying up as Indonesia became the COVID-19 epicentre of the world.

“We’ve had to say goodbye to a lot of dear friends,” Ms Sutherland said. 

“At the same time, we’re super excited for the opportunities and for our children going back to school.” 

After two weeks of quarantine in Darwin, the family will return home to Perth, where the children will go to an Australian school for the first time in their lives. 

“While they’ve grown up in Bali, they are very much Australian,” Mr Sutherland said. 

Desperate Australians considered sailing home 

While cases in Indonesia now appear to be easing from a peak in July, the country is still in the grip of a major outbreak. 

More than 180,000 new infections were recorded in the past week, and 10,000 more deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

DFAT has refused to say whether it plans any more repatriation flights from Indonesia for the up to 600 Australians still wanting to leave. 

Many of those left behind are going to extreme lengths to attempt to reach Australia. 

One group of Australians in Java last week chartered their own private Garuda flight to Perth, at a cost of almost $5,000 a ticket. 

A separate airline, Indojet, is still trying to organise a similar charter flight from Bali next month.

But with a limit of 25 passengers, the cost is likely to be exorbitant.