Yarrawonga has turned into a ghost town compared to the traditional Easter holiday hustle and bustle as businesses in the tourism hot spot absorb the brunt of an another coronavirus-related economic hit.
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Car parks in a normally packed Belmore Street are plentiful as only a small number of shops opened their doors to service mainly locals as the feared influx of holiday-makers disobeying the stay away directives didn't eventuate.
On the other side of Lake Mulwala, three of the river towns' biggest employers, Club Mulwala, Mulwala Water Ski Club and Yarrawonga and Border Golf Club, are all shut with an estimated 300-plus workers in limbo.
Terminus Hotel owner John Dow said the pub's accommodation was fully booked for Easter before restrictions to combat COVID-19 tightened.
"We were totally full, but they began to cancel two weeks ago," he said.
"A few were hanging in there and thinking they might be able to come still, but they've all had to pull the pin.
"I've never seen Yarra this quiet.
"Even when the weather is bad there are still people streaming up and down the main street.
"At this time of year the town's population normally triples with campers on the river, etc."
Member for Murray Valley Tim McCurdy said his office was swamped with calls and emails on Thursday from locals fearful of an Easter influx of tourists
"People were worried about the amount of people coming to Bright, Porepunkah and Yarrawonga," he said.
"The locals can recognise the people who aren't from their towns.
"There is no doubt businesses are hurting, but people have also come to terms with 'if we do the right thing, the sooner we will come out of it'."
Yarrawonga-Mulwala visitor information centre team leader Helen Copland said no incidents of people ignoring the "stay away" message had been reported to her.
"If someone is truly concerned about somebody who is an obvious visitor then they would hopefully refer it to the right people," she said.
"The supermarkets have inundated regardless and through social media you were seeing and reading people were still coming up.
"It is hard to distinguish who is local and who is not because the reality is you don't know everybody.
"There is a lot of us doing the right thing and not going out.
"Every single community at this time doesn't want visitors during COVID-19, but as soon as we get to the other side let's travel, let's inter-mingle."
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