Bumper holiday season with accommodation booked solid in Moyne Shire

Moyne Shire Council's economic development and customer experience manager Darby Lee said both The Gardens and Southcombe Caravan parks were fully booked from Boxing Day until January 10.

"There are a few sites available for the remainder of January, but there have been a large number of inquiries," Mr Lee said.

"We also have strong bookings at our council caravan parks at Mortlake, Koroit, Killarney and Yambuk and non-council accommodation providers have also been reporting strong levels of demand to our tourism team.

"It's gearing up to be another busy summer holiday period right across Moyne and we looking forward to welcoming visitors back."

Holiday homes are also nearing peak capacity over the summer period.

Hearns Port Fairy Accommodation manages about 120 properties across the town and from Boxing Day until the end of January they are almost booked solid.

Holiday accommodation manager Reinette Van Rooyen said that since Melbourne had been "let loose", weekends in Port Fairy have been "crazy busy".

"I almost think we have got an extended peak season which usually starts from December 18, our weekends are already showing we are very very busy," she said.

She said from the beginning of December they were running on a 60 per cent occupancy rate, and from the 18^th they were running between 80 to 90 per cent capacity.

"From December 27 onwards we are running on full capacity almost," Ms Van Rooyen said.

In a bid to ensure a COVID-safe summer, they were leaving a 24-hour gap between visitors so they could do a "deep clean".

"We won't be running on a full 100 per cent occupancy like we used to do in the past just because of that 24-hour gap that we're trying to keep due to COVID," Ms Van Rooyen said. "We're just trying to make sure we're keeping everyone safe," she said.

Ms Van Rooyen said this summer was shaping up to be just as busy as last year.

"It was also almost like an extended peak season. It was more or less the same trend as this year," she said.

Ms Van Rooyen said a lot of visitors were regular holiday makers.

"They rebook every single year, before they even leave they've already made their booking for the following year," she said.

"People are just desperate to get out, especially Melbourne people because they've been locked down for so long."

The Moyneyana Festival, which was cancelled last year, will swing back into gear this summer to give children and families something to do.

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