Tour company cops $5,000 fine for taking busloads of tourists to regional NSW zoo

Tour company cops $5,000 fine for taking busloads of tourists to regional NSW zoo

A travel company has been fined for bringing three busloads of tourists to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.

On Monday morning, busses carrying 128 staff and guests arrived at the zoo, 76 of whom were not permitted to travel outside greater Sydney under the current public health order.

Staff at the zoo refused to let the travellers off the buses and called the police.

After speaking to the tour operators, police established the group left Sydney on Friday and travelled throughout regional NSW, after stay-at-home orders were announced on Saturday for anyone who visited or lives in the greater Sydney area.

According to police, officers ordered the tourists to return home immediately and issued the tour company with a $5,000 fine.

State Emergency Operations controller, deputy commissioner Gary Worboys, said the company owner told police he was aware of the public health orders but decided to continue the tour as planned anyway.

“The staff at the zoo did exactly the right thing – they isolated the risk and alerted police. They did a great job to protect the local community,” Worboys said.

Investigations into further possible breaches are continuing.

While Taronga Sydney Zoo has temporarily closed, Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo is still operating.

However, a post on its Facebook page advises that visitors who live, work or have visited Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains or Wollongong on or after 21 June 2021 will not be allowed entry to the zoo.

Police did not reveal the name of the tour company that received the fine.

Travel Weekly has contacted Taronga Western Plains Zoo for further details.


Featured image source: Facebook/TarongaWesternPlainsZoo

Latest News

  • Products

Embrace the journey: Traversing the world with the Shokz OpenRun

If you’ve been on the wrong side of a final call in the airport, or missed the stop on rail journey, it might be time to invest in a pair of Shokz OpenRun headphones. Originally marketed as headphones for fitness fanatics, runners or cyclists with a keen to steer clear of a prang with a car, […]

  • Tour Operators
  • Tourism

TTC: Deals are driving up demand for September trips

The latest market research from TTC Tour Brands shows interest in international leisure travel remains high for 2024, with 77 per cent of Australians over 18 still planning trips this year. Notably, 28 per cent of those travellers are eyeing September for their journeys. Europe continues to be the most popular destination, with 68 per […]

  • Aviation

Qantas ‘working urgently’ to fix app data leak

Qantas is looking into customer reports that passengers have this morning been able to access other passengers’ personal information on the airlines app. X user Lachlan posted that he was able log into different accounts every time he opened the app. My @Qantas app logs me in to a different person each time I open […]

  • Hotels

Revamped Wailoaloa Beach hotel opens as Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa

Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa is open and ready for bookings after the first phase of a multi-million-dollar transformation. Part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ premium collection, the transformation has seen the completion of 106 guestrooms showcasing contemporary interiors reflective of the premium Crowne Plaza brand and is a first for the […]

  • Luxury
  • News

Kamalaya Koh Samui clinches clutch of wellness awards

Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa has so far clinched five prestigious awards in 2024, including being inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ at the World Spa & Wellness Awards in London. Founders of the Koh Samui sanctuary and spa John and Karina Stewart expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the awards. “We are profoundly honoured […]