WINTER school holidays have arrived and COVID-19 restrictions have eased just in time to provide Limestone Coast businesses with a much-needed economic boost.
While visitation will be down on previous years due to the Victorian border closure, South Australian families will be eager to capitalise on the freedom to move around the state.
At least that is what Treehouse Adventure Centre owner David Walker hopes, after he was finally able to swing open the doors to the children’s entertainment complex this week.
“We have soldiered on and waited to hear when we could reopen and finally got the green light last week, so we are excited to be able to open during the school holidays to give people somewhere to go during the wet weather,” he said.
“We have opened our weekend and school holiday booking times, which are set up a little bit different than usual, but we have already had quite a few bookings.”
While he was excited about being able to give parents somewhere to take their children, he admitted the period would not be without its challenges.
“We have only just opened back up and we are thrown straight back into the busiest holidays we have as a business,” he said.
“To not have much money behind us going into that and to have to throw a lot of staff at the period is going to be a challenge as well.”
Limestone Coast Police operations manager Inspector Campbell Hill said people should have an awareness of the increase of children out and about in the region.
“We obviously expect there to be an increase of children and families out and about in the parks and playgrounds, so drivers in particular need to be on the lookout,” he said.
“While there will not be the Victorian visitation we see usually, our road safety messages remain the same and people should have an awareness that people are still moving around within the state.”
While there remains a large focus on the border patrols, Insp Hill said police would have a presence around licensed premises this weekend in light of more lenient COVID-19 restrictions.
“We are expecting more people to be out enjoying the hospitality precincts and we will be ensuring compliance of those members of the community,” he said.
“There has also been no focus lost on drink and drug driving.”
