In Bairnsdale, the coffee shops are once again being inundated with tourists, with the long weekend providing a precursor of the good times to come.

Carolyn Guy, who runs the Paper Chase Café on Main Street, said Saturday was “a massive day for us”.

“It’s absolutely picked up, it’s been amazing,” Mrs Guy said.

“We have amazing local support and I have the backing of really good staff, so it’s been very, very positive.”

Mrs Guy has been able to retain her three full time staff throughout the coronavirus crisis.

She conceded it had been tough at the height of the full lockdown, but perseverance got her through.

“This (COVID-19) has been a lot worse than the bushfires,” Mrs Guy said.

“The experience of the bushfires hardened me I suppose.”

She says being a local for so many years has its benefits.

“The support that comes with that is amazing,” she said.

At the Wooden Squirrel, owner, Jason Kaczkowski, had a smile on his face.

Mr Kaczkowski told the Advertiser that business is “a hell of a lot better than it was”.

“It’s been an interesting experience to welcome people back, it was surreal,” he said.

Mr Kaczkowski said since June 1, when COVID-19 restrictions were eased, people had been trickling back in.

The long weekend, with tourists hitting the roads to get out of the city, had put the icing on the cake, generating the tourist dollar all small businesses yearn for.

While Mr Kaczkowski said revenue was still down about 50 per cent over the long weekend compared to the previous year, but the sense of normality of having tourists rock up to his café over the Queen’s Birthday weekend has renewed his faith in café culture.

He said boats, caravans and 4WDs began rolling into Bairnsdale on Thursday afternoon as happy campers looked forward to their first weekend away in a long time.

The Wooden Squirrel remained open all weekend.

“Ninety per cent of my staff are back. It’s great to have the crew back together again,” he said.

IMAGE: Paper Chase Café proprietor, Carolyn Guy (right), with employee, Molly Waddell, says business has picked up with the partial lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. K307-6315