I went to Queensland for lunch and was stranded for three months

My trip was supposed to be simple. I was attending a lunch for the Australian Society of Travel Writers in the town of Ipswich, on the outskirts of the state’s capital Brisbane.

The timing coincided with the lifting of state border closures, after four months of limited freedom of movement. Thrilled to go anywhere, I booked the 90-minute flight on July 29 and arranged to stay with a friend.

But then, the business trip turned into a nightmare: No sooner had I crossed the border from my home…