What good can come from this? It is a question I would like you to ponder. 

‘This’ is of course the COVID-19 lockdown.

Here is my list of good things, in chronological order.

• My son married his partner of many years the week – before – lockdown. It was a stunning wedding in a wonderfully bucolic setting, even though my children are really city kids, and will go down as, ‘that amazing wedding just before lockdown’ in everyone’s memory.

• My daughter who lives in London came home for the wedding and ‘bingo!’, was stuck back home for three months unable to travel. Bad for her, good for her mum.

• I’ve had a ridiculous amount of time to school my horse so I am in seventh heaven. My horse is sick of the sight of me and has been known to try to play hide and seek whenever I appear.

• And this my friend, is possibly the most interesting to you. I’ve discovered a Facebook page called ‘What do you see from your window?’

There are posts from more than 160 countries across the world and it has opened a myriad of new perspectives on other nations and how we have so much in common. 

People in far flung places that I’ll probably never be able to visit seem so much closer. 

I have to admit the biggest surprise so far is the beauty of Romania.

That neatly segues to my next point. This forced isolation with closed borders is forcing people to rethink where they travel.

The first weekend we were allowed ‘out’ was the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. 

I live in northeast Victoria and went to my favourite local restaurant that is on one of the main tourist routes in the region. There was a constant stream of caravans and campervans visiting.

In the tourist town of Beechworth there were queues of people trying to get into cafes and shops. Victorians are re-discovering their own state.

It was a similar story in the Grampians. Tourism has taken a huge hit in the lockdown, but now that we are able to get out and about more, it’s bouncing back. 

Ninety percent of its tourism is domestic and, to quote Grampians Tourism chief executive Marc Sleeman, it’s now ‘game on’ with visitation numbers higher this June than the same time last year. 

Tourists are out of hibernation and back on the road with a renewed and re-invigorated desire to look locally. 

As someone who is South Australian-born, I don’t agree with Premier Daniel Andrews’ comment, ‘who would want to go there?’ in reference to SA, but I do agree there’s more than enough for us all to see and support right here in Victoria while the border remains closed. 

The entire June 24, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire June 24, 2020 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!