Wow! I am only reading this now.
As an ex-pat Australian I am disgusted by the Australian government's COVID response and treatment of its citizens.
I actually bought a large sailing catamaran at the end of COVID in order to have freedom of movement. I am fitting it out to be an entirely self-sufficient Ark that is capable of unlimited range and duration at sea with huge solar arrays and multiple redundancies.
I live in Israel these days and the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the right to enter and leave is a fundamental right of citizenship and overruled government attempts to prevent this.
As an Australian lawyer I am disgusted that The High Court endorsed this destruction of a fundamental right of citizenship.
While nothing like your experience I sailed it across the Med with my wife and 3 little kids, similar ages to yours.
I hope to meet you, out there on the water, some time.