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Foti Liacopoulos was in Lorne on Thursday and had a sense of deja vu when hearing Victoria was heading into another lockdown.
Back in February, the Port Melbourne resident arrived in the coastal town on the same day the government announced the last state lockdown.
Foti Liacopoulos who is staying in Lorne for the lockdown.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
He booked this weekend’s trip on the Great Ocean Road weeks ago because construction is being done on his home. Now, with a booking until Monday, the 24-year-old said he was glad to be out of Melbourne for at least part of the seven-day lockdown.
“Being in an environment I’ve always associated with a holiday, it does take some of that COVID stress and anxiety away as it is a place I’ve known as relaxing,” said the freelance photographer, who runs his own business.
“It does give me anxiety thinking of having to go back. Trying to set up my own business in these circumstances is really quite frustrating. I have three shoots next week and I will have to reschedule them.”
He was already in Lorne when the state government announced the new restrictions, but many other Melburnians took to the road early on Thursday, hoping to seek refuge in regional Victoria or bring forward planned interstate trips.
David Runkel and Sandy Runkel have hooked up the caravan and are on their way to NSW two days earlier than planned.Credit:Joe Armao
Frankston couple David and Sandy Runkel had originally planned to drive their caravan to the north coast of NSW this weekend, but decided to leave on Thursday when talk of a lockdown began.
They already scrapped a trip to the Northern Territory last year because of the pandemic.
”We planned a three-month trip because Sandy’s long service leave was due,” Mr Runkel said from a truck stop in Violet Town in north-east Victoria. “With COVID it had to be cancelled.“
Mrs Runkel, who is a nurse, was able to take annual leave to start their four-week trip to NSW early. She said a holiday was “absolutely needed” after the stress of 2020.
“It was a harrowing year last year,” she said.
Others raced home to regional Victoria to be with their families. Medical student Tara Kearns packed her bags and returned to her home town of Torquay from university accommodation in Melbourne on Wednesday. She wanted to help her parents, who are doctors with three younger children, at home.
“I’m feeling pretty scared because I’ve got exams coming up and it’s hard because all last year I did year 12 in lockdown and that was hard enough, and now with the first medical exams coming up, it’s even scarier. This is my future and what I’ve studied for and now we have to go back into lockdown.”
Ms Kearns went for a COVID-19 test first thing on Thursday morning and said the nurses were slightly anxious about people coming from Melbourne while infected.
Daryl Cooke and his dog Parda on their way back to NSW on Thursday.Credit:Joe Armao
Mr Cooke expected to arrive home in Sydney’s south about 9pm on Thursday night. He did not anticipate any problems getting across the border but wanted to leave before any rules changed.
“Who knows what can happen in the future?”
Events producer Aly Jolly and her 11-year-old son Johnny spoke to The Age from Melbourne Airport, just before boarding a flight to Sydney.
With her son, they had seen the first part of theatre show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Wednesday night, but were leaving the city before the second show on Thursday to get home before a lockdown. Her son was devastated.
Aly Jolly and her 11-year-old son Johnny were at Melbourne Airport on Thursday morning, heading back to Sydney while they could.
“We have just decided to pull the pin and get out of here,” she said. “My husband rang this morning and said get to the airport.“
She said the airport was pretty busy with people leaving Melbourne.
“A lot of people are getting out of here today, they are looking relieved to get on the flight,” she said.
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