MILDURA’S river community is ecstatic at the news that the Murray River is now open to visitors from across regional Victoria.
Mildura Paddle Steamers’ Ashton Kreuzer said she was on “cloud nine” after Monday night’s announcement.
“It was just elation,” she said.
“It was a massive weight off our shoulders.
“From numerous letters to Ministers, phone calls, setbacks, meetings, emails, texts, to finally – a result!”
The latest amendment to NSW’s public health order allows a person who has been in Victoria in the last 14 days – but not in a restricted area or COVID-19 area of concern – to enter NSW by accessing the Murray River without the need for a permit, provided that they do not enter an embankment, dock, port or wharf on the northern side of the river.
The order was passed and gazetted by NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Monday evening.
Ms Kreuzer said it was a big win for her family’s business, which has been struggling through various shutdowns for six months.
“The announcement means we can now operate with people from regional Victoria,” she said.
“Previously we could only operate for people with a border pass.
“Now we can run and cover costs at least.”
Since the announcement, Ms Kreuzer said she had been inundated with calls from regional Victorians wanting to book cruises, with passenger bookings more than doubling last week’s numbers.
“The phone calls actually started last night,” she told Sunraysia Daily on Tuesday.
“I got 18 people booked on within the two hours of putting up the Facebook post that we’re open to regional Victoria.
“The phone’s been ringing off the hook this morning. Tomorrow morning’s cruise is nearly booked out already.”
The announcement came as welcome news to tourism operators like Ms Kreuzer, after months of heartbreak amid the pandemic.
“We’ve been turning away about 90 per cent of our phone calls of people wanting to book,” she said.
“Having to turn them away was just devastating.”
The relaxed restrictions leave scope for Mildura Paddle Steamers to increase their offerings beyond their Wednesday and Saturday river cruises as visitor numbers swell.
While a long-term timetable is still in the works, Mildura Paddle Steamers are celebrating with extra time on the river this week.
“We’re having celebration cruises, which will be one-hour cruises on Friday for only $10 per person as a bit of a celebration,” she said.
Members at the Mildura Rowing Club are also celebrating.
Mildura Rowing Club president Kevin Tankard welcomed the return “to a kind of normality again” and his 85 members not having to obtain a permit to enter the river.
“It’s fantastic news for the rowing community, tourism and everyone who uses the river,” Mr Tankard said.
“Our club’s rowers had just been allowed to get back on the river, but we did require a permit. But that will stop now. It’s great.”
He said that since restrictions were eased nearly a fortnight ago for recreational use of the river for those inside the cross-border bubble.
“I’ve been rowing on the Murray every second day,” Mr Tankard said.
“My mental health is so much better. It was just beautiful on the water late yesterday,” he said. “This is what life is all about here, not putting road blocks up for use of the river when there have been no COVID cases here for months.”
