Murray River, Lake Mulwala operators hoping to see border changes

Regional Victorians can travel within the regions, but those hailing from outside the border zone can't spend their holiday in NSW border towns.

They also can't take part in recreation on the water, with the permit system covering NSW waters.

Mal Stone hires out mainly fishing boats, and had to explain to a previous customer from Kyneton that access was only for those people with border crossing permits.

"I said, 'You can hire the boat, but you can't go on the lake or the Murray'," he said.

"He really wanted to fish the lake. Trying to explain it to people gets a bit hard sometimes."

Mr Stone said he understood the logic of the permits - which follow the usual regulations that put NSW in charge - but thought it was unfair for paddle steamers and those cruising the water.

"They're getting picked up on the Victorian side, they can't get off anywhere, and then they get let off on the Victorian side," he said.

"I can see where they are different to me; with my business people drive the boats themselves, and I've got no control over where they stop.

"I can see both points of view.

"Hopefully we can hit it [the virus] on the head now and can get back to normal quicker."

Paradise Queen operator Travis Smith said the border was still having "a huge effect" on business.

"People are inquiring and their first question is whether or not they can cross the border or access the river ... we're still turning a lot of people away," he said.

"The daily life created a bit of freedom so you can cross, but as far as visitation and tourism, the change hasn't had a positive impact.

"A lot of tourists are from Melbourne, but we're not going to get to that position for a while [where they can visit], so if they could open up to regional Victoria, whether it's for daily travel or overnight stay, it's going to have a huge impact."

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said "leaving Melburnites out for now" and opening up the border to everyone else is a consideration.

Mulwala Water Ski Club chief executive Peter Duncan hoped that could eventuate.

"Things have been tough, since we could have border neighbours across, that's been a real plus," he said. "If we can get it opened up to regional Victoria, it will make a huge difference to us.

"If we can only have the border region as it is at the moment, it's not going to do much for accommodation."

The Cumberoona and Sienna Daisy will remain suspended for now, with operators doing restorations and waiting for a permit change.

Skin Ski and Surf Pro Shop owner Pete O'Neill said the closure hadn't affected his business too much, but if the border closure went on much longer it would be "a bit of a nightmare".

"I think it did serve its purpose - if the virus had spread more into NSW, we would be in a worse situation," he said.

Skin Ski and Surf Pro Shop owner Pete O'Neill said the closure hadn't affected his business too much, with winter being quiet.

But he said the closure continuing much longer would be "a bit of a nightmare".

"I think it did serve its purpose - if the virus had spread more into NSW, we would be in a worse situation," he said.

"If it doesn't open soon and it keeps putting people off, it's really going to affect us. I will be pretty happy the day it's opened."

Mr O'Neill pointed to wide-ranging issues with restrictions and the NSW waters coming under the permit system.

"Putting on my water skiing hat, the locals here that would be training for world titles haven't been able to do any of that," he said.

"There is a world cup event in December that kids in Queensland have been training for."

A further $500 million could be lost in river tourism if border closure issues aren't eased by Christmas, Murray Regional Tourism says.

Chief executive Mark Francis is pushing to have the definition of the 'border' reworded in the public health order.

"We've been raising a number of ways to address it, whether it be adding to the permit system, or the most ideal outcome would be simply shifting the definition in the current order which lists the Victorian high water mark on the Victorian bank as the border," he said.

"At every single river crossing point, you cross the river before you get to a checkpoint, whereas from a river context they're counting the checkpoint on the Victorian bank, which is inconsistent.

"That change means we could automatically have regional Victorians accessing the water.

"We have a lot of empty houseboats, stationary paddle-steamers, and kayak/canoe hire business.

"The inquires have been quite strong, but they can't accept the bookings because they're sitting on NSW water."

Mr Francis said the set-up, which was making people go elsewhere, was understandable when the border was shut with no notice in July but had to be reconsidered.

"Most visitors and guests predominantly are from regional Victoria and more broadly, Victoria," he said.

"There will be some shape of a border closure for a little while to come yet, so we want to create the most flexible and safe operating structure.

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"We've already had estimated losses of over $2 billion with the current closures, and if these were to continue between now and Christmas, it would be in the order of another $500 million lost, with estimates there are about 8000 jobs at risk.

"A big proportion of that would be businesses on the NSW side."