For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.<\/p>\n
Foti Liacopoulos was in Lorne on Thursday and had a sense of deja vu when hearing Victoria was heading into another lockdown.<\/p>\n
Back in February, the Port Melbourne resident arrived in the coastal town on the same day the government announced the last state lockdown.<\/p>\n
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Foti Liacopoulos who is staying in Lorne for the lockdown.<\/span>Credit:<\/span>Luis Enrique Ascui<\/cite><\/p>\n He booked this weekend\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing in an environment I\u2019ve always associated with a holiday, it does take some of that COVID stress and anxiety away as it is a place I\u2019ve known as relaxing,\u201d said the freelance photographer, who runs his own business.<\/p>\n \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n David Runkel and Sandy Runkel have hooked up the caravan and are on their way to NSW two days earlier than planned.<\/span>Credit:<\/span>Joe Armao<\/cite><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n They already scrapped a trip to the Northern Territory last year because of the pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201dWe planned a three-month trip because Sandy\u2019s long service leave was due,\u201d Mr Runkel said from a truck stop in Violet Town in north-east Victoria. \u201cWith COVID it had to be cancelled.\u201c<\/p>\n 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 \u201cabsolutely needed\u201d after the stress of 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a harrowing year last year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m feeling pretty scared because I\u2019ve got exams coming up and it\u2019s 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\u2019s even scarier. This is my future and what I\u2019ve studied for and now we have to go back into lockdown.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Daryl Cooke and his dog Parda on their way back to NSW on Thursday.<\/span>Credit:<\/span>Joe Armao<\/cite><\/p>\n Mr Cooke expected to arrive home in Sydney\u2019s south about 9pm on Thursday night. He did not anticipate any problems getting across the border but wanted to leave before any rules changed.<\/p>\n \u201cWho knows what can happen in the future?\u201d<\/p>\n Events producer Aly Jolly and her 11-year-old son Johnny spoke to The Age<\/em> from Melbourne Airport, just before boarding a flight to Sydney.<\/p>\n With her son, they had seen the first part of theatre show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child <\/em>on Wednesday night, but were leaving the city before the second show on Thursday to get home before a lockdown. Her son was devastated.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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