Noelene and Terry Holmes are pensioners who live in Wodonga and they feel the expectation that they drive more than 1000 kilometres in one day to be allowed entry to their home is unreasonable.

"They told us we had to travel from Goondiwindi to Wodonga in 24 hours when truck drivers don't even do that," Mr Holmes said.

"How do they expect us to do that?"

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The couple said when they arrived back in Victoria they were waved through a police checkpoint without so much as a licence check.

It was only after staying the night at their family home and getting tested the next morning at Wodonga hospital that they were told to leave Victoria.

"We spoke to the head nurse and she told us it was illegal for us to be in Victoria," Mr Holmes said.

"They wouldn't give us a COVID test and they told us to get in our motorhome and go back across the border.

"We were told to apply for an exemption permit, which we did on the 29th of July and we haven't heard anything back.

"We told them that we're both fully vaccinated and the nurse told us that means nothing because we can still catch it.

"I don't know why they wouldn't give us a COVID test there."

The Holmes spent seven days in a caravan park in Howlong where they had a negative COVID test returned before they shifted to the Albury showgrounds.

After 10 days in exile they have heard nothing about the status of their exemption application and cannot get onto anybody for an update.

"We just want to know how long it's going to be before we get this permit back," Mrs Holmes said.

"We've had notification that they received our application and that's been it.

"You look on the websites and it's just like mud."

The pair applied for an exemption because their son who suffers from mental health issues is home alone and they need to be with him.

They said they felt as if they were being punished and kept in the dark for doing the right thing and were upfront about their recent travels.

"We're thinking we should have just bloody gone home and stayed at home," Mrs Holmes said.

"We feel like we've been the goody, goody-type citizens and where does it get you? Nowhere. We've done everything right and still we're being left in the dark.

"We're just so frustrated with the situation.

"We don't even know for sure if we're allowed to go home after the 14 days are up."