As it happened: Melbourne retailers, cinemas, gyms throw open doors as restrictions ease

Thank you for following our live coverage of restrictions easing in Melbourne once again.

That’s it for the blog tonight. In case you are just joining us, here’s what you’ve missed:

• Keen shoppers braved the wild weather to flock to shopping centres across Melbourne, as retailers threw open their doors. At Chadstone Shopping Centre, crowds cheered and clapped as the clock struck 6pm. Lines of dozens of people snaked outside stores at “the fashion capital”, with hundreds flooding the centre to get a head-start on buying Christmas gifts, to return unwanted lockdown purchases, or just to have a browse.

Hundreds flocked to Chadstone Shopping Centre on Friday evening. Credit: Chris Hopkins

• Gyms opened their doors, too, and there was no time to waste at CreateFit at Southbank as a group of 30 cross-fitters launched straight into power snatches with barbells, followed by intensive bike sessions.
• Movie-lovers returned to cinemas across the city, with horror fans Ekrem Karakos and Alev Babayigit among those who booked in for a screening of Halloween Kills at Chadstone. The Coburg Drive-In Cinema was close to capacity at sunset.

Ekrem Karakos and Alev Babayigit enjoy a move in cinemas on Friday. Credit: Chris Hopkins

• Many Melburnians headed straight for the regions at 6pm, with caravan parks and camping grounds starting to fill up early. Travellers were urged to reconsider their plans with power outages affecting hundreds of thousands across the state and, at about 7pm, power outages were creating dangerous road conditions on the way to the Bass Coast. They meant some businesses had to stay closed in San Remo, just before Phillip Island, ahead of a frantic weekend for the tourism town.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Victoria were without power throughout Friday because of wild weather. Credit: Paul Rovere

This is Cassandra Morgan, signing off. You can tune into our live, national coverage from tomorrow morning.

Within half an hour of opening up at 6pm, loyal customers were already lining up outside Hill of Content’s doors on Bourke Street in the CBD.

Employee Anna McShane-Potts said it had been uplifting to see so many people pour into the bookshop after a tough couple of years with on-and-off closures.

Karl Sagrabb and Anna McShane-Potts enjoy a glass of bubbly on opening night at Hill of Content. Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola

“The first customer that came in through the door said ‘I’ve been buying books online all this time but it’s so nice to come in touch them and see them’,” Ms McShane-Potts said.

“We’ve been in a pandemic two years now and to still have loyal customers coming back - it’s beautiful.”

Staff were planning to close at 8pm but kept going after customers kept walking into the shop for a browse and a complimentary glass of bubbles.

“It’s been so good today the energy has been so gorgeous,” Ms McShane-Potts said.

The bookshop was open for click and collect online orders during the pandemic but worker and postgraduate student Karl Sagrabb said it had been hard not having a full-time job.

“It wasn’t my favourite thing but I was lucky I had a partner working full-time to support me,” he said.

Melbourne’s streets burst into life from 6pm as locals celebrated the start of the first weekend since restrictions lifted.

Workmates Libby Pratt, Emily Greenwood and Tuu Chandang hit Federici Bistro on Spring Street for their first post-work drinks in months.

Libby Pratt (left), Emily Greenwood (middle) and Tuu Chandang enjoying post-work drinks on Spring Street. Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola

The trio were on their second bottle when Ms Pratt shared her plans to visit to Gippsland for the weekend.

“[I’m] just getting out of the city - my friend booked it a long time ago,” she said.

Ms Pratt said she was looking forward to going hiking and visiting some wineries.

Ten minutes down the road in Chinatown, friends Adam Mahonuy, Vivienne Phan, Michele Tran and Megan Li got back together over a hotpot.

Customers lining up outside of a restaurant in Chinatown on Friday night. Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola

The group said they were celebrating the lifting of restrictions and finally being able to dine out.

It isn’t just indoor cinemas that opened at 6pm tonight - indeed, the Coburg Drive-In Cinema was close to capacity at sunset.

It was close to capacity at the Coburg drive-in at sunset. Credit: Tom McKendrick

Despite the low temperatures, tailgates were open, there were blankets and picnic chairs aplenty, and it appeared lots of adults had come to enjoy the one kids movie screening in want of tickets to the other Halloween offerings.

Fair to say the diner was doing a rare trade in classic drive-in fare.

Our photographers have been out on the ground this afternoon and this evening capturing Melbourne as restrictions ease in the city once again.

Here’s some photos of what they’ve seen, and you can click here to view a full gallery.

YMCA Noble Park swimming instructor Jen Walker was excited to have her students back in the water again. Credit: Paul Jeffers

Keen shoppers flooded stores at Chadstone Shopping Centre.Credit: Chris Hopkins

Bartenders finally took cocktail glasses off their shelves at Nick and Nora’s in the CBD, which has been waiting to open without caps on patrons. Credit: Luis Ascui

Thanks so much to all our readers who have so far let us know how they’re celebrating restrictions easing this evening.

Here’s a snapshot of what you’ve said:

“I need to trim my face now,” Nick said.

Michael is catching up with friends and family for dinner, then once he gets home, it’s the “final dress rehearsal” ahead of Derby Day at Flemington tomorrow. “As a young 19-year-old member of the VRC, I am delighted to be back trackside with my family and friends to enjoy a few drinks and of course, Peter Rowland’s famous chicken sandwiches,” he said.

Nick was out for a walk and took his mask off when 6pm rolled around. Now that he doesn’t have to hide behind it outdoors, he’s decided it’s time to trim his beard.

Kate drove her husband to Chirnside Park Shopping Centre and was surprised that she could get a car park right out the front at 6pm. She wondered if people were avoiding visiting the centre.

Want to tell us what you are up to this evening? You can do so by filling in the form below.

The cocktail shakers were finally off the shelf at upmarket CBD bar Nick and Nora’s tonight, where the distinctive hum of a dimly lit indoor bar slowly returned.

The largely indoor cocktail and champagne bar had chosen not to open until density limits lifted at 6pm but was running at its allowed capacity of about 100 guests within an hour of opening.

Bar staff at Nick and Nora’s in the CBD were finally able to take cocktail shakers off the shelves on Friday. Credit: Luis Ascui

Bar staff needed no warm-up: one poured five amber coloured cocktails to precisely equal height at breakneck speed, another fired up a blowtorch over a marshmallow for garnish.

Hospitality workers Joel Bainbridge and Phoebe Askham were among the first visitors together with friends Sascha Mocerino.

Champagne was their first beverage of choice on a night Ms Askham said was edging towards pre-pandemic nights out.

Joel Bainbridge, Phoebe Askham (centre), and Sascha Mocerino enjoying a cocktail at Nick and Nora’s.Credit: Luis Ascui

“This time after lockdown it does feel like everyone is a bit warier,” she said.

“I enjoy nights where you don’t need to have bookings and know your exact group size. Hopefully we’re getting there now.”

Mr Bainbridge was gearing up for a shift starting at midnight at fellow CBD bar Spleen, which he said would particularly benefit from looser restrictions as a late-night, smaller size bar.

“We’re excited to get to this next stage. Every little bit helps,” he said.

It was champagne day for cinemas across Melbourne as they were finally able to turn the popcorn machines on.

Unlike non-essential retail stores, which were allowed to open for click and collect and outdoor shopping, cinemas had been out of action for months, as Melburnians turned to streaming platforms like Netflix and Stan to get their movie fix during lockdown.

Ekrem Karakos and Alev Babayigit enjoy a movie in cinemas at Chadstone after restrictions ease.Credit: Chris Hopkins

With Halloween around the corner, horror fans Ekrem Karakos and Alev Babayigit bought tickets to their first movie since July, Halloween Kills, a Halloween sequel where famed killer Michael Myers escapes to continue the bloodshed.

“We are going to the movies because we can,” Mr Karakos said.

“We are sick of lockdowns,” Ms Babayigit added.

Mr Karakos said the best thing about restrictions lifting was finally being able to make spontaneous plans. For Ms Babayigit, it was being able to put an end to working from home.

“This is a different environment, plus I’ve watched pretty much everything on Netflix, all the good films,” Mr Karakos said.

The screening room at Hoyts Chadstone was half full with couples and groups of friends socially distancing to enjoy the movie.

In the popular tourism town of San Remo, just before Phillip Island, the power is still out and businesses preparing for a frantic weekend are closed.

Nathan Murphy, co-ower of the Spicy Duck Thai restaurant, said the loss of power at such a crucial time was devastating. “We were booked out,” he said. “Tonight would have been a big night.”

Mr Murphy said there was no indication of when the power was going to come back on. “If we lose all day tomorrow it’s a big loss.”

Despite the outages, cars continued flowing over the bridge to Phillip Island after 7pm, where some businesses were reportedly able to serve customers by using power generators.

Mr Murphy said the pandemic had dealt local traders a savage blow but he was grateful for the community’s support.

“The local population has been great,” he said.

Back at CreateFit gym in Southbank, and there’s no time for complaints as the group of 30 cross-fitters launches straight into power snatches with barbells followed by intensive bike sessions.

A DJ plays electronic music from the corner of the room while those completing the workout spot each other in groups of four.

Electronic music kept fitness junkies pumped up at CreateFit gym at Southbank on Friday night.Credit: Michael Fowler

Maddie Huggins and Kylie Massi are the two of the elite operators who arrived as restrictions eased at 6pm.

Ms Huggins is training to compete in the cross-fit world championship in the United States in February - a competition Ms Massi, now a coach, has participated in several times.

Ms Huggins said while she had some equipment at home to maintain her fitness levels, maintaining motivation while working out in her apartment building’s underground carpark had proven difficult.

Thirty-odd cross-fitters turned out to the gym from 6pm. Credit: Luis Ascui

“It is hard without the competitiveness and also the camaraderie of being with people training,” she said.

“You’re with limited equipment because you don’t have rigs at home, you don’t have rings, you don’t have half the equipment that you’d normally use in cross-fit during the session.”

Cross-fit combines elements of gymnastics, weight lifting and cardio exercises, demanding high levels of all-round fitness for elite competitors.

Everyone attending tonight is working towards a more immediate goal, too - they will settle in for a barbecue and a few drinks at the end of their first session together in three months.