Tourism dollars started trickling into Wagga for the first time since lockdown, with regional travel restrictions easing just in time for the long weekend.
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Happy campers Sandra and Brett Bell were among the first to return to Wagga, which is a favourite weekender destination of theirs.
"The minute we knew [the regional travel ban] was lifted we called Big4 Wagga and said 'book us in right now'," Mr Bell said.
"The park is just fantastic; it's great for pets, great for travellers, and there's just such beautiful scenery."
The Sydney couple visit Wagga regularly as part of their "semi-retired" grey nomad lifestyle, and they were keen to return after months stuck in lockdown.
Over the long weekend they reunited with Peter Garland from Cobram, and old camping mate of theirs who forged a fast friendship with them after meeting in Wagga years ago.
Mr Garland said he had been getting cabin fever after months in lockdown, and was keen to be out of the house and back on the open road.
"It'd been driving me crazy," Mr Garland said.
"I've been itching to get away with the van."
Big 4 Wagga Holiday Park owner Martin Cotterell said he was relieved to see tourists returning to the park, but said there was still a long way to go before it was business as usual.
Mr Cotterell said his caravan park was usually 90 per cent full throughout the year, but over the long weekend they were sitting at around 60 per cent capacity.
Mr Cotterell is the Caravan Industry Association treasurer, and he said the financial pain was being felt across the board.
"The sad part of all this are the parks that were severely affected by the bushfires. They were all praying for the April school holidays and Easter, but they never got it and they suffered massive, massive losses," he said.
"We won't get back to normal until the group activities start in town, the sporting weekends the shooters weekend, the gears and beers. Wagga is an event driven town."
However Mr Cotterell said he remained optimistic that Wagga's tourism industry would start to resemble normalcy within three to four months, especially as restrictions continue to lift across town.
Bundyi Cultural Tours operator Mark Saddler said he had started to get some inquiries for the first time in months, but none of them had so far translated into bookings.
Mr Saddler said the Aboriginal tourism industry had been booming before the coronavirus pandemic, and that it had yet to see signs of recovery.
However he too said he was optimistic about the future, saying Aboriginal tourism had really begun to hit its stride in the weeks preceding lockdown, and that it would continue to do so post-lockdown.
"I believe the domestic market will really boom for a period of time," Mr Saddler said.
"When it comes to tourism I think people will be more keen to explore their own backyards before they go overseas."
Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
