Merimbula 'bursting at the seams, full to gunwales'

"We're really looking forward to welcoming everybody back," he said.

"We're probably 99.5 per cent - if not more - full with our members but everybody is full. We ring non-members when we're trying to find accommodation and they're full too. If you do a booking.com search, you'd be lucky to get anything this side of Cooma," Mr Nicholls said.

The combination of school holidays, plus the Easter long weekend which is then followed by the Anzac Day long weekend, is proving to be a powerful driver of holiday traffic.

"It's shaping up to be another Christmas, this could be Christmas 2.0," Mr Nicholls said.

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But it's not only the combination of holidays, but also a desire by many people to get back to nature and be away from the crowds that is making the Far South Coast so attractive.

"I had people from Sydney on the phone asking about Merimbula. They were saying they were so sick of the crowds and the queues and wanted to get away from it all," Mr Nicholls said.

"Then we had others saying they usually go to the North Coast but it wasn't just the flood risks that were turning them off but also that there were 'too many people'," he said.

And although people can expect walking trails and beaches to be busy by local standards, for many wanting to escape the cities and ensure they have a little space between them and others - particularly with COVID still to be considered - the Far South Coast offers that space.

Mr Nicholls said the Merimbula Visitor Information Centre (MVIC) had been busy.

"On Monday we got hammered. People had arrived and were turning up at the centre to get information, get maps, find out what activities were available and where the walking trails were," he said.

The MVIC will be putting out a list of what's open over the Easter weekend. Mr Nicholls warned bookings would be essential. Staffing has been an issue not just on the Far South Coast and some cafes and restaurants are still juggling their opening times to work within the limitations of the staffing available, Mr Nicholls explained.

"So please make sure you book beforehand; you won't necessarily just be able to turn up and get a table," he said.

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