Temporary border crossing checkpoints at Talwood and Yelarbon open for harvest

The border crossing checkpoints at Talwood and Yelarbon will temporarily open for harvest next Monday, 25 October, the Mayor of the Goondiwindi Region the Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM has confirmed.

Cr Springborg said the Queensland Police Service and Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) have confirmed the two checkpoints will open to all local traffic with a valid pass to enter Queensland (e.g. X Pass, F Pass, S Pass) for the duration of the local harvest.

The checkpoints will be open seven days a week during the following limited hours:

• Talwood-Boomi crossing: 7 am – 7 pm
• Yelarbon (Keetah bridge) crossing: 8 am – 6 pm

The checkpoints at Texas and Goondiwindi will remain open 24/7.

“I’m extremely pleased that we’ve been able to facilitate these crossings for harvest as a result of Council advocacy,” Cr Springborg said.

“Council has been in close discussion with local landholders and has been strongly advocating for workarounds and solutions to border restrictions with harvest imminently before us. It’s a fantastic result for local farmers on both sides of the border, with the potential to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in transport costs,” he said.

“While we’ve been given no firm dates yet for how long these checkpoints will remain open, we’re anticipating that they will stay in place until the conclusion of the local grain harvest.”

For more information about entry into Queensland for the local grains harvest, visit https://daf.engagementhub.com.au/grain-harvesters. As the checkpoints are subject to weather conditions, you can also check this site for the latest updates about any closures due to weather (click ‘Queensland border crossing locations’ in the ‘Helpful Info’ menu).

Cr Springborg said he is continuing to meet weekly with the state government’s Department of Transport and Main Roads and Queensland Health as part of the DAF Harvest Task Force.

“This is a very exciting time of year and I’m certain this will make a big difference,” Cr Springborg said. “We now have everything crossed for a bumper harvest for our region, as well as some hope that these border checkpoints may soon come to an end as Queensland opens its borders in the coming months.”