While a large number of tourist plans and reservations were cancelled in the Porepunkah and Bright areas due to the major police operation and manhunt, the September school holidays has helped spark the start of a tourism recovery, with a slow but encouraging resurgence in visitation and foot traffic for the alpine areas.
Early during the first week of the school holidays, the main street in Porepunkah was almost deserted, but looks turned out to be deceiving as visitors were either in the Punkah Pub to create a bustling atmosphere or swiftly cycling along the rail trail.
In Bright, the ice creamery was doing a roaring trade, as was the Beechworth Bakery: both full of customers dropping in for lunch or a sweet treat.
Many tourists have dropped by Bright's local stores and eateries, with guests stocking up on local produce and boosting trade in town, despite lower numbers for the season.
Holiday accommodation property manager at Dickens Real Estate, Courtney Conroy, said bookings at the 102 holiday properties in Bright, Porepunkah and Wandiligong the agency manages were down on previous September school holidays.
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”We were at 58 per cent capacity for the long weekend which was not ideal and we’re only at about 40 per cent for this coming weekend,” she said on Monday, noting a special offer of 10 per cent off for three nights or more in September and October, hoping to help bring more people back to the area.
“Midweek has been even lower at around 29 per cent.”
Porepunkah Pines Holiday Park manager, Narelle Gray, said business was definitely quieter than normal, but guests have still been trickling in.
"We've refunded a lot of bookings, due to people not wanting to be in the area," she said.
"Capacity is not at the percentage we're normally at, given the situation, but the long weekend's been good for us all.
"Generally, the school holidays in September aren't usually our busiest time, but over the two major weekends between now and Christmas - the Melbourne Cup weekend and Rod Run weekend - we're totally booked out.
“We’re really looking forward to people coming back to our area.
“The feedback we’ve had from visitors so far is they’re really happy to support the local area: they haven’t brought food with them, instead they’ve dined out, gone on outdoor activities and supported local retail spots.”
Bright Chamber of Commerce president, Marcus Warner, said coffee shops and other local tourist spots have been 'buzzing' as guests move around the area once more.
"Obviously it's been a really tough month for the region, but it's been quite exciting with the start of the Victorian school holidays to see the tourists slowly trickling back up to the area," he said.
"Friday was one of the first days we've all woken up to see a bit of vibrancy in the town."
Porepunkah locals, Jan-Piet and Marie Thomas, recently hosted their friends Rudolf and Kitty Mooij from Holland.
It was the pair's third visit in 25 years, with the group cycling on the rail trail to Nightingales in Wandiligong, before a pit stop in Bright on the way home.
"Kitty and I, we do a daily ride, but for today we've been able to hire two extra bikes so we can all go cycling together," Marie said.
"We've got a great bike shop in Porepunkah.
"We're very fortunate to live here in this beautiful place.
"So far during their stay, we've gone on day-trips to Beechworth and we plan to get to Falls Creek next week and Lakes Entrance for a fortnight afterwards."
