MELBURNIANS are heading to Mildura in their droves to get a taste of “the Gold Coast of Victoria”.
Tourist accommodation venues have reported strong interest from people wanting to get out of metropolitan Melbourne and into the regions after Premier Daniel Andrews last weekend removed the “ring of steel” that prevented regional travel.
And Sunraysia’s warm November temperatures have proved to be a huge drawcard.
Mildura’s All Seasons Holiday Park and houseboat business owners Sean and Jodie Bromley have seen a renewed optimism in the local tourism industry since Melburnians have been free to travel throughout the state.
“Our numbers have been very strong and the holiday park has been really, really busy,” Ms Bromley said.
“A lot of people started booking a week or so ago for post-November 9, so it’s looking good at the moment,” she said.
Ms Bromley said many of the inquiries were from people who had been caught inside the Melbourne ring and now wanted to escape the enclosure.
“Most of our bookings for houseboats have been for four or five days and the holiday park accommodation is again four or five days, so they’re looking for a good break,” she said.
“Houseboat bookings have been strong for the past couple of weeks, but while Melburnians wanted to book they didn’t want to pay the deposit just in case the lockdown wasn’t removed.
“So they weren’t booking the houseboats until after the announcement, but now the phone is running hot.”
She said that with restrictions still on state borders, Mildura’s reputation for fine weather had been a common factor in new arrivals here.
“People are saying that we’re the Gold Coast of Victoria, so let’s go there because they’re guaranteed some great weather,” she said.
“They are desperate to come and they’re so excited and if we keep our weather up we’re just going to be flat out, so it’s been really positive.”
