South-west residents have welcomed a taste of normality as they return to their fishing boats and golf greens for the first time in weeks.
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Today marked the first day of the first weekend since COVID-19 restrictions were eased across Victoria.
Gatherings of up to five people were permitted in households from Wednesday and up to 10 people for outdoor activities including fishing, hiking and golf.
Michelle Wyard and Ian Weinzierl from Ashwood, south-east of Melbourne, were spotted checking out the Port of Port Fairy on Saturday.
Mr Weinzierl said they made the trip down for the day to visit a dog groomer, check out the sights and grab a bite to eat.
Ms Wyard said she had been working from home for the past few weeks and it was great to get out and enjoy the sun.
There were blue skies across the south-west on Saturday and in Port Fairy the sun was out with temperatures hitting 16 degrees at midday.
"It's a beautiful day to finally get out and about," Ms Wyard said.
On the water was Port Fairy's Vin Versace and his six-year-old son William, travelling down the Moyne River in their 'tinnie'.
They embarked on their first fishing trip since restrictions were eased across the state.
Mr Versace said they were fishing for mullet and bream.
"We have always really enjoyed fishing and we've missed being out on the water," he said.
"It's great to get back out again."
The Water Police Squad were also out on the water conducting reassurance patrols alongside local Port Fairy members and the police dog squad.
Golfing enthusiasts returned to the Port Fairy golf course and exercise lovers could be seen running, cycling and walking with their pooches around the coastal town.
Down the road at Tower Hill, a Warrnambool family were hoping to run into a baby emu or spot a koala.
Belinda and Kris Brown said they always made an effort to stop in at the wildlife reserve with their daughters Alexa, 3, and Lillyann, 2.
But with coronavirus restrictions in place for more than 50 days, they had started to feel "cabin-feverish".
"It's been so great to finally get out of the house," Ms Brown said.
"We always stop in to see some of the animals, the girls love looking for emus and kangaroos, so it's a bit of a treat for them to get back here."
Ms Brown said isolation had been "tough" as a family but as restrictions began to ease, things were looking up.
In Warrnambool, the breakwater car park was full with fishermen itching to get back out on the water.
Warrnambool's Chris Trask was sitting on the pier with a line out, his feet up and music blaring from a portable speaker.
It'd been 45 minutes since he set up at the breakwater but there were no bites yet.
"It's been a while so I think the fish are still asleep," he laughed.
"I'm just a recreational fisher, I try to get out once a week, weather permitting. Today has been a perfect day, the sun is shining and I hope we can get a few more days like this while we can."
Mr Trask said the last few weeks had been "really crazy" but he welcomed the small taste of a return to normality.
"You look around and see all these people out on the water compared to just a day ago when it was deserted - it's crazy," he said.
"People seem to be maintaining their social distance too which is obviously good. I think it's great for the community, the car park is full and it looks like cafe (The Pavilion Cafe and Bar) has had a few customers."
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