Queensland family arrive home after coronavirus quarantine on Christmas Island
Wayne, Jemma and Meiling Binney finally get to have the cheese and crackers they'd been looking forward to during isolation. (ABC News: Tara Cassidy)
Wayne and Jemma Binney say returning to their lush Queensland acreage in Gympie, north-west of the Sunshine Coast, is like a weight has been lifted from their shoulders after enduring 14 days in quarantine on Christmas Island.
The family of three was among more than 200 Australians evacuated from Wuhan in China two weeks ago, amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The Binneys were one day into their holiday visiting family when they first heard about the disease.
Despite their best efforts to get back home, they ended up on board an emergency flight to the Christmas Island detention centre wearing white masks and unsure of what was to come.
Following two weeks of medical checks, an impromptu concert, and some new friendships, the family was finally cleared to return to Australia, arriving home to their Imbil property at 5:00am Tuesday morning.
"It's a relief to be home, we discarded our masks, the dogs were running around crazy, it was really nice," Mr Binney said.
Wayne and Jemma Binney said they faced a number of restrictions on Christmas Island, including wearing masks. (ABC: Wayne Binney)
"I was excited to see my veggie garden," Ms Binney added.
When they left for their holiday, their 14-acre drought-stricken property was dry and brown, but it's now a lush oasis.
"Before we left, it hadn't rained in five months, then a few days after we left it didn't stop raining, the place has changed, the foliage has changed, things have grown," Mr Binney said.
Loading...The rolling hills and open space is also in stark contrast to the confines of quarantine on Christmas Island, where the family was only allowed to communicate with others in allocated groups, behind the protection of masks.
"We couldn't go anywhere, we were confined, couldn't go out and walk to the beach to go for a swim, you were stuck in the perimeter,"Mr Binney said.
"[You were] only allowed to speak with people in your section, we were in the 'green block'."
Despite the restrictions, the Binneys managed to "find their groove" within the centre.
Two birthday parties for Australians in quarantine were organised by defence personnel. (Supplied: Wayne Binney)
"We had a great time there, we had two birthday parties the army organised — it was really nice — we had a concert on the last day of Chinese New Year," Ms Binney said.
"They played piano, someone had a violin, another man was a singer in a band, we were so lucky, the people there really helped us," she said.
They even purchased souvenirs from their time on Christmas Island before starting the 24-hour journey home.
'Spooky' conditions in Wuhan were 'like a movie'
The family was part of the first group allowed to return home to Australia, but memories of what they left behind in China remain fresh in their mind.
"It was like from a movie, there wasn't a soul around.
"We were talking millions of people locked inside their homes," Mr Binney said.
"Normally you can't see the pavement there're so many people, but there just wasn't a person on the street, it was quite spooky."
The family touched down on Australian soil on Tuesday morning, with clearance from the chief medical officer on Christmas Island, and said they are preparing for life to return to normal, but not without some challenges.
"Our certificate will be given to [daughter] Meiling's school, [but] there has already been talk that some people were making jokes about it, saying we've got to keep away from them with the virus," Mr Binney said.
"But now that we've done the two weeks, the document says we never had the virus, we are free of the virus, we can commence life in the community once again."
For Wayne Binney, the homecoming also offered an opportunity to celebrate with some of the comforts of home.
"I've been hanging out for some wine, cheese and bickies, today is finally the day," he said.
The Binney family is getting back into the swing of things after returning from 14 days of Christmas Island quarantine. (ABC News: Tara Cassidy)
Jemma Binney's thoughts remain with many of her family members still at home in China.
"I ring them every day to check on them and what they feel like," she said.
"They are quite safe — the thing is they can't go out — if they stay home, they're safe, they're just bored.
"At the moment they don't know [when it will end], they said they have another 14 days of isolation again in my hometown.
"So I'm thinking of them."
The 36 Australians who remain in the detention centre are due to fly home on Wednesday.
They were taken to Christmas Island following an Air New Zealand evacuation mission.
They will board one charter plane that will fly directly to Adelaide, then Sydney, up to Brisbane and finally on to Melbourne where the aircraft is based.