For two backpackers, Griffith has become the safest place for them as they grapple with being unable to return home to their families.

Backpackers Alba Huidobro and Javiera Bonilla arrived in Australia in January wanting to see the unique Australian wildlife and experience our laidback lifestyle.

Those plans to enjoy their time in Australia quickly fell apart as the pandemic spread across the globe.

Restrictions put in place to protect people meant that both Miss Huidobro and Miss Bonilla found themselves without jobs, and ways to support themselves as the hospitality and tourism sectors shut down.

For Miss Huidobro, who hails from Madrid in Spain - leaving for a working holiday has been a blessing in disguise.

Two ice-skating rinks in the country's capital have been transformed into temporary morgues.

Both of Miss Huidobro's parents are nurses and they have tested positive for COVID-19, her grandmother survived being infected after she was on a ventilator for eight days.

However, not all of her family members have been so lucky and the spread of the virus in Spain has meant there are no safe places for Miss Huidobro.

Adding insult to injury was the abuse both backpackers received in Sydney as some people blamed them for the pandemic.

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As international flights were cancelled across the globe, 'going back to where you come from' has become almost an impossibility, with many airlines cancelling travel to countries badly affected by the pandemic.

With few options available to them, Miss Huidobro and Miss Bonilla decided to make their way west to Griffith.

They heard from other backpackers who has spent time in Griffith that it was a friendly place, and there might be the opportunity to pick up some farm work or seen kangaroos in the wild.

It's Miss Bonilla's second year in Australia and said she had found Griffith to be welcoming.

Her family is from La Serena in Chile where they run a vineyard and she's hoping for a chance to put those skills to use.

"With things getting bad back home, it is nice to be safe here," Miss Bonilla said.

"I can also use my farm skills while improving my English."

With some spare time on their hands the pair made their way to the top of Scenic Hill to see the kangaroos in the scrub, koalas relaxing in their natural habitat in Narrandera and enjoyed some of the fine wine made in the region.