Happy campers: Outdoor industry heats up as Victorians plan winter escapes
Operators across the outdoor adventure and camping industry are taking a deep sigh of relief as COVID-19 restrictions ease.
It's going to be frosty this Queen's Birthday long weekend, but that won't stop nature lovers from escaping the city after months stuck inside.
Avid outdoorsman and Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club committee member Peter Signorini will be braving the elements this weekend.
"There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices," he said.
Peter Signorini and wife Margaret with their son Matt preparing for a bike trip for this long weekend.Credit:Eddie Jim
Mr Signorini, his wife, son and eight other cyclists will head north by train to explore the Whroo area on their bikes, about 150 kilometres north of Melbourne, between Shepparton and Seymour.
Forecasts show the weather will be close to freezing most mornings, but he doesn't foresee it being an issue and is excited to sit around a campfire at the end of a long day of cycling.
"We’ll get up, pull on the layers and pop beanie on our heads. By mid-morning, it will be around 8 degrees. It will be alright," he said.
Mr Signorini usually takes around seven camping trips a year to cycle and has been for decades.
He said he's noticed a "pent up demand of people just wanting to get out and do things".
On the road again, the Signorini family are heading to country Victoria for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown.Credit:Eddie Jim
Mark Purvis, managing director of Aussie Disposals, has made a similar observation.
"There are a lot of people locked up in their homes just dying to get out and do the things they love," he said.
Aussie Disposals – which sells everything from tents to gold prospecting equipment and military fatigues – was forced to go into voluntary administration this year and close as many as 12 of its 36 stores after being hit by the twin impacts of the January bushfires and COVID-19.
A lot of business was lost when the coronavirus-induced lockdown wiped out campers' plans for the Easter long weekend. But the current sales boost has started to make up for what was lost for the surviving stores, Mr Purvis said.
Aussie Disposals caters for the entry to mid-level camping crowd, Mr Purvis said, and he expects a lot of first-time campers to walk into to his stores this year in search for an alternative to international travel.
"We’re really happy to be a part of what we think is going to be a great period of people travelling within Australia," he said.
He said the awful bushfire season and the coronavirus lockdown had been "a real wack" for regional business.
Many of Aussie Disposals' stores are in regional areas and he is imploring visitors to support their economies in any way they can.
"Drop in and buy groceries, fill up with fuel or just buy a T-shirt off a rack," Mr Purvis said.
After a worrying few months, Big4 Phillip Island Caravan Park reopened last Monday.
Operator Miguel Del Rio said the phones were ringing hot on their first day of trading.
"You don't know how wonderful it felt. The girls in the office were ecstatic," he said.
Bookings haven't fully recovered. But, with a few days to go, self-contained tourist cabins at the site are sitting at 75 per cent capacity for the long weekend.
They are still required to keep their communal cooking and showering facilities closed so bookings for their powered campsites are still a little lacklustre.
However, they're hopeful for the future and will be upgrading their facilities over the next few months in preparation for the busy September school holiday period.