The Victorian Government's requires anyone aged 12 or above, including regional residents, to have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of visiting the snow and alpine resorts and within seven days for people who work at the resorts.

But Mount Beauty resident and two time winter Olympic cross country skier Paul Murray said the rule was unfair for residents who lived close to the mountain.

"That's where common sense really should come into it," he said.

"If you're a local family who works up at Falls Creek, but lives in Mount Beauty, to me, it seems like there could be a more common sense approach that could work and still give the level of safety that you need.

"There are a lot of families in town who are frustrated with that current scenario."

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Mr Murray said he was disappointed he would need a COVID-19 test 72 hours in advance of every time he wanted to go up the mountain, but said it impacted businesses at the top of the hill more, as they would lose income due to the rules.

"We really feel for a lot of friends of ours that rely on people up there and being able to move freely," he said.

"There's frustration around the fact that we've been in our own little bubble up here and then these new requirements that have come in have made it quite difficult for locals.

"And it's a shame because it will impact our ability to spend money in the resort and we want to spend money locally."

Tawonga South resident Keith Boxer said he would normally ski about three times per week, but the testing rules meant to do that he would need about three tests each week.

He said it was important to keep the resorts safe and he was in favour of travellers from Melbourne being tested 72 hours prior to their visit, but the requirement significantly inconvenienced locals.

"It's a huge waste of resources from my perspective when there's been no cases in local to the mountain regions," he said.

"You're affecting probably 30 or 40 thousand people across these regions who would like to go skiing more regularly but, because of the testing regime for locals, it's really difficult to do day trips.

It's a bit of a frustration."

Mr Boxer estimated the rules would mean at least 2000 off mountain residents would need to be tested each week by Alpine Health, draining the health service's time and money.

What we're struggling from here is unintended consequences of the decision they made in Melbourne," he said.

Myrtleford resident Doug McConville said the rules removed the ability for residents like him to take a spontaneous day trip up the mountain.

"We would normally go up once a week, wed just pick a good day to go up, but that's not going to be real easy now," he said.

We shouldn't have to go get a COVID-19 test just to go up for a days skiing at Falls Creek or Mount Hotham when we live in the border bubble and it's just our local hill.

"You should be able to go up and just do a day trip; you're in, you're out, you're not going to the bars at night, you're not going to stay in accommodation."

He agreed resort businesses on top of the mountain would be missing the business provided by local day trippers, turned off from the testing requirements.

You're up there and you're buying lunch and you are spending money," he said.

"It all adds up, it all makes an impact."

Mr McConville said testing day trippers would waste resources.

"I just see that as pretty ridiculous," he said.

"If you're feeling unwell and you've got any symptoms go get tested, but if you're not and you want to go on a day trip to the mountain to go for a ski, or even if the locals from Wodonga would like to go up to take their kids tobogganing or something, I just sort of look at it.

"They're not going to do it if they've all got to get a COVID test."

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