After years of disruption due to the pandemic and the recent summer flood crisis, north-west Victoria looks on track to make more money from tourism with today's launch of budget airline Bonza in Mildura.
The new Australian business has delivered the first departing and arriving flights between Mildura and the Sunshine Coast, and will continue offering two flights per week from Mildura to the east coast for $79 each way.
Trips between Mildura and Melbourne will launch in April for as little as $49 each way.
Passenger Bridget Pennisi has family in the Sunshine Coast and Mildura.
She said the introduction of direct flights between two locations meant she would be able to spend more quality time with interstate loved ones.
"It means I'll be able to visit my mother more, which I haven't been able to do recently, and particularly COVID made it really difficult here," she said.
"Being able to come so quickly rather than having to travel from the [Tullamarine airport] or anything like that is so much easier.
"It was a perfect day for flight."
Improving access
Murray Regional Tourism chair Wendy Greiner said the flights would provide the Sunraysia region with a much-needed injection of tourism dollars.
"With Bonza coming in, it gives the opportunity for so many people, particularly in the leisure market, to be able to travel at a very economical price," she said.
"We believe there's a very bright future ahead again.
"And as a regional economy along the river, pre-COVID we saw about $2 billion of expenditure coming into the entire region.
"The last three years have been very difficult for tourism operators, particularly with border closures between NSW and Victoria and then more recently with floods, but the operators are extremely resilient, very passionate and determined to get on."
Nippers make most of flight
The launch proved to be perfect timing for nippers from the Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club, who made their first interstate networking trip.
The club's Connor Walsh said a hat swap with Mildura junior lifesavers had been a core memory for the 18 children.
"It's great. We can come down here now we've made contact with the lifesaving surf club here, which is an unusual situation here in Mildura," he said.
"So we can make that connection and hopefully they can go up and visit us and we can give you an experience of what Mooloolaba is like on the ocean."
Visiting and exploring
Bonza chief executive Tim Jordan said thousands of tickets had been sold to date.
"We're allowing the many to get on board and to fly, rather than just the few who previously maybe had flown with our airlines for business reasons," he said.
"We're about visiting friends and relatives.
"We're about exploring our big backyard and I think that's really resonating with so many regional centres that we're opening up across the country.
"The service has been embraced, whether that's from a Sunshine Coast border point of sale into the Mildura region or outbound from Mildura.
"Both ways we're seeing really good strength in terms of those forward bookings."
Mr Jordan said there was not always an equal playing field between the regions and capital cities.
"Compared to some of the capital cities, whereby it is easier to access other points, it is easier to explore," he said.
"It's easier to go back and forth, whether that's for leisure, see friends and family or just to explore this wonderful big backyard we have."
