Hospitality venues have spent recent days preparing to reopen, as coronavirus restrictions are set to ease on Thursday.
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Ex Lion Tamer cafe's Tim Baxter said the chance to reopen is a first step towards returning to normality.
"It's the little ray of sunshine at the end of what has been an ordinary tunnel we've been going through," Mr Baxter said.
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The coming weeks are set to be chaotic, Mr Baxter said, as the cafe grapples with new dining restrictions.
"Business will improve immediately and be a little chaotic, but a good chaos," he said.
"The outdoor area we've got is pretty good, it's a nicely sized outdoor area and there is only so much capacity to serve people in the style we want to, so we won't look to expand at this stage."
Ex Lion Tamer has substantial outdoor dining capacity, but not all businesses are blessed with that luxury, Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan said.
"We want to work with regional hospitality businesses to see what more we can do outdoors," Ms Allan said.
"In the coming days and weeks, we will be working closely with regional councils to see how we can open up more outdoor space so cafes, pubs and restaurants can take up more space."
There is a 50-person outdoor dining limit per establishment, with tables required to be 1.5 metres apart and one person per two square metres.
The state government is working with industries and councils to reduce the turnaround time for liquor license application adjustments, Ms Allan said.
Bendigo businesses have reported applications to amend liquor licenses have taken up to 10 weeks to return a result.
"A working group has been established to look at how processes can be streamlined so we don't see unnecessary delays in those approvals," she said.
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Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards said the eased restrictions are a great opportunity for smaller communities to welcome regional visitors.
"Maldon is a town almost entirely reliant on the tourism dollar, so it makes a big difference to them to be able to open up again," Ms Edwards said.