COHUNA has welcomed a much-needed tourism rush as regional Victorians quickly escaped a long winter of COVID-19 lockdowns.The Cohuna Waterfront Holiday Park was inundated with bookings from the moment Premier Daniel Andrews announced a shift to step three of the Victorian Government’s COVID recovery plan.
Holiday park manager, Jennah Martin, said the park was almost booked out last weekend and had already welcomed healthy bookings through to January.
“Within 10 minutes (of the announcement) the phones started going ballistic and since then we haven’t been able to keep up with (them),” Ms Martin said.
Over 120 bookings were taken in a single day and a large group of more than 200 has booked for October next year.
“It’s hugely appreciated,” Ms Martin said of the bookings bonanza.
People from Bendigo are responsible for over 70 percent of recent bookings, with a lot also coming from Echuca and Kyabram and a few from Ballarat and Geelong.
Despite the excitement of welcoming guests again, Ms Martin said reopening wasn’t free of apprehension for her and husband Shaun.
“We were a little bit worried at the beginning something would happen and we’d have to close for summer,” Ms Martin said.
However, the respectful attitude of guests and their willingness to adhere to COVID-19 safety measures has been reassuring.
“As long as everybody’s following the rules we should be allowed to stay open,” Ms Martin said.
She said most recent arrivals have been excited to get away and enjoy the fresh air, fishing and family time.
However, a few have been a little frustrated with the amount of paperwork they have to fill in on arrival, with the park’s COVID Safe Plan and COVID declaration forms added to the usual requirements.
Mount Macedon’s Quinn and Krajewski families were revelling in the tranquility of Cohuna, unwinding at their idyllic Gunbower creekside location in the holiday park.
Andrew Quinn and partner Jane Honey previously visited Cohuna during the two COVID-19 lockdown periods, making a future booking then and hoping restrictions would have lifted sufficiently by September.
They were five days into a week-long stay when Gannawarra Times visited on Thursday, with the day consisting of fishing and celebrating the seventh birthday of daughter Flora Quinn, including a visit to local eatery Waffles.
“As soon as the lockdown was lifted and we had the booking it fell into place that we could get a week where we just chill out and not be in each other’s pockets,” Mr Quinn said.
That has provided a welcome break from juggling working from home with the children’s remote schooling efforts.
The Quinn and Krajewski families ensure they contribute to the businesses in communities they visit.
“You bring enough food for day one, or day two if it’s a Sunday, and then you just stay here and put some money into the town and enjoy it,” Phil Krajewski said.
Mountain biking and kayaking are among other activities the Mount Macedon families have enjoyed during their stay at Cohuna Waterfront Holiday Park.
