Two Victorian tourists who failed to show up for COVID-19 quarantine after travelling to the Northern Territory have been found at a remote campsite.

July 24, 2021

Two Victorian travellers missing in central Australia for four days have been placed into COVID-19 quarantine after they were found at a remote campsite.

Yasemin Aslaner, 49, and Elias Awad, 22, were last seen on Monday as they crossed into the Northern Territory at the Kulgera border checkpoint, about 275km south of Alice Springs.

NT police raised concerns for their welfare on Friday, saying the pair could be in danger.

The couple was later located in Kings Canyon, about 300km west of Alice Springs, and taken to the Todd River quarantine facility, a police spokesman said on Saturday.

They had been directed on Monday to undertake 14 days quarantine at the Alice Springs facility but failed to show up.

Almost a week later, NT police alerted the public that the pair was missing but didn’t say they’d breached their quarantine orders.

The pair are likely to be fined, with police investigations continuing.

Earlier, Chief Minister Michael Gunner blasted another group of Victorian travellers for allegedly lying on their border entry forms so they could attend a wedding.

The six people, aged between 29 and 31, left Victoria – a declared hotspot – on July 15 and travelled into South Australia before arriving in Darwin on Tuesday.

“I’m furious that six w*****s from Melbourne thought they could gamble with Territory lives for a holiday and a wedding,” Mr Gunner said in a statement after NT police released a statement about the group’s alleged actions.

Officers found the group at the Winnellie Hotel in a Darwin industrial area.

They were later moved to the Centre for National Resilience quarantine facility in Howard Springs.

Police issued each of the two men and four women with a $5056 infringement notice for failing to abide by the NT Chief Health Officer’s directions.

It will be alleged the group was travelling together and provided false information to border entry personnel on arrival in Darwin.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable that these people were willing to put the rest of our community at risk by their selfish actions,” police commander Hege Burns said.

Police say they’re also likely to issue fines to four women, aged 26, 27, 29 and 41, for failing to submit border entry forms when they arrived in the NT on Friday.

The group travelled from Adelaide – also a declared hotpot – on July 22.

They’re now in quarantine after one of the women showed up at the facility and alerted authorities.

The other three women were later located and escorted to the Todd River facility by police.