Former Ulladulla man Tim McLean has endured months of lockdown in China but now faces an uphill battle to get home.
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Mr McLean paid $800 for his return ticket to Ezhou, a satellite city of Wuhan in Hubei province, epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, when he made the ill-fated trip with his Chinese-born partner in mid-January.
He is now struggling to find the $4600 for a one-way ticket back to Australia. And he says he's not alone, with dozens of other Australians still in limbo in the Chinese megacity.
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"The flights aren't actually guaranteed. You can buy your ticket and the plane still might be cancelled. I've asked the government for some assistance. They said I'm not entitled to Centrelink benefits because I'm overseas," Mr McLean said.
He has also discovered that because he's not entitled to a Centrelink benefit he cannot access his superannuation to pay for the ticket home.
Mr McLean was caught by the Wuhan lockdown on January 24. He says he was unable to make the February 9 evacuation flight because of the short notice he was given and the fact he could not find anyone willing to take him to the airport, some 50km from where he is living.
His sense of frustration has grown in recent days as he's read reports of Australians being repatriated from other countries on government-sponsored mercy flights.
"The flights they organised through Qantas were going from a few destinations, I understand, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong."
Mr McLean said the Australian consulate in Shanghai warned him against trying to get from Wuhan to Hong Kong.
"If we get there and have to wait some considerable time or leave the airport we have to do 14 days quarantine, so if there's a mishap with the flight or if it turns up late or something, I'm in trouble."
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On a tourist visa which has already been extended, Mr McLean has six weeks until he has to leave China. Failure to leave could see him deported, which would mean being forbidden to return to the country, or even placed in detention.
He says he might be forced to turn to friends for financial help, something he wants to avoid.
"I really don't want to be borrowing from friends who are also in a situation in Australia where they can't work."
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of a number of Australians who remain in Hubei province.
"The government's advice remains that where commercial options are available, Australians wishing to return home should take them," the spokesperson said.
There are no further assisted flights planned to get Australians out of Hubei province.
Mr McLean said he had tried to no avail to get assistance from the emergency hotline.
