Open and flat-out with bookings, caravan park owners breathe a sigh of relief

Colac Colac Caravan Park's operators in Victoria's Upper Murray are looking forward to more bookings.

Traditional family holidays are proving popular as coronavirus restrictions ease across regional Victoria, and the operators of one Upper Murray caravan park are hoping the worst is behind them.

The Upper Murray, which was devastated by last summer's bushfires, has proven to be a popular choice for regional Victorian families keen to hit the road and make the most of relaxed restrictions.

Paul and Mel Dally, the operators of the Colac Colac Caravan Park, near Corryong, in north-east Victoria, said they were inundated with booking requests as soon as news broke that travels restrictions would be lifted for regional Victorians last week.

"The phone has been ringing real hard, so it has been really great," Mr Dally said.

"We have taken a lot of bookings — the response was massive."

The park officially reopened late last week and Mr Dally said guests began arriving on Friday with holidaymakers continuing to check-in across the weekend, despite the wet weather.

Bookings have already exceeded those from the same time last year.

"We will definitely be busier than we usually would be, and that's just for the regional Victorian side of it," Mr Dally said.

"I think people just want to get out and about. They've had enough and they just want to get out and have a break."

The Dallys do not expect things to slow down.

"Coming up to the AFL Grand Final weekend, it is looking like we could be close to being booked out," Mr Dally said.

"We aren't fully booked yet, but we are just about there.

"And we've never booked this place out on AFL Grand Final weekend, ever."

While there was the opportunity to briefly reopen when restrictions were lifted in June, the forced closure of amenities and facilities kept visitors away.

But this time around the park is fully operational.

"All our facilities are open, all our camp kitchens and our amenities blocks are all open as well as our barbeque areas," Mr Dally said.

"We still have to make sure everyone is abiding by social distancing, but other than that everything has opened back up."

The reopening comes after a tough year for the park and the wider region.

"It has been a long, long year between bushfires, our floods and COVID-19," Mr Dally said.

"But on the bright side, we're through it and hopefully we can stay open now."