Travel restrictions have been reduced in Porepunkah and surrounding towns as a search for accused cop killer Dezi Freeman inches closer to its fourth week.
Freeman, 56, is accused of fatally shooting policemen Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart at a property in Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, on August 26 before escaping into bushland.
Police on Sunday lifted travel warnings in the area, before school holidays and the AFL grand final long weekend.
Mount Buffalo National Park remains closed.
Locals celebrated the news, declaring the area open for business.
Cherry Walk Cafe owner Leanne Boyd described nearby Bright as a "ghost town" over the past three weeks, with the "unprecedented situation" leaving many businesses without an income.
Ms Boyd said the empty streets were eerily similar to the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires, which brought the Alpine tourist mecca to a standstill.
"We've got no tourists, because everyone has been told to stay away," she told AAP on Monday.
"But we've got people to pay, electricity bills, rent and the ATO - none of that stops ... and it's not just business owners, it's the people we employ who are losing shifts, it's the whole community."
She said businesses in the area were having a bumper season before the shootings, with the best snow season in 20 years bringing more tourists to the area.
Tim McCurdy, the state MP for the area, estimated traders in Bright were down 70 to 80 per cent.
But the Nationals MP said the damage extended as far as Myrtleford, where a bakery has lost 40 per cent of its take.
The move to lift restrictions was a "massive breakthrough" for businesses and would trigger the region's economic recovery but Mr McCurdy warned it wouldn't happen overnight.
"It's not as if people start rocking in the door today," the Ovens Valley MP told AAP.
"It's still going to take weeks.
"If we didn't get the ban lifted and this went on for another three or four weeks, some businesses would literally close down."
While police have said it is safe for visitors, Mr McCurdy conceded some will likely be scared away from the region by the spectre of Freeman.
He is calling for relief from the Australian Tax Office for business activity statements, a tourism campaign and targeted grants for affected traders.
There should also be a funding mechanism for future economic disasters, not just for environmental ones, Mr McCurdy argued.
Victorian minister Harriet Shing was non-committal when asked about possible financial support for impacted businesses but said the government would continue to work with the community.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Russell Barrett said the decision to lift some restrictions was difficult, but suggested it struck a balance based on the community's reliance on tourism.
"We need to work with them to ensure their livelihoods aren't being impacted by what is a massive search," he told Melbourne radio station Nova on Monday.
The change in restrictions comes days after Victoria Police conducted the largest tactical police operation in Australia's history, with more than 125 specialist police called in from interstate and New Zealand.
Police refused to say whether the search uncovered any sign of Freeman or evidence he had been in the area since the shootings.
A $1 million reward remains on offer for information leading to his capture, the largest financial offer for aiding an arrest in Victoria's history.
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