Melbourne will open its border to New Zealanders from Monday, Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed on Friday, ending a closure that has been enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victoria hasn't had any new cases of COVID-19 since October 31, and has 15 cases currently in isolation.
Speaking to the media at a factory in Melbourne, Andrews said the state government will be making a "series of exciting announcements about easing restrictions over the weekend".
"From November 9, direct flights into Melbourne from New Zealand will start again. I've written to the Prime Minister this morning, confirming that," Andrews said.
"Whilst we inadvertently found ourselves inside the New Zealand travel bubble - I don't know if bubbles have doors, but this will essentially be the front door opening up so that New Zealanders will be able to travel to Melbourne and wider Victoria."
The Melbourne travel bubble, like the one currently in place with New South Wales, will be a one-way system - anyone returning to New Zealand will be required to undertake the mandatory two-week isolation.
"New Zealand's border settings remain unchanged. Any New Zealander who travels to Victoria would still need to quarantine upon return," Chris Hipkins, Minister for COVID-19 Response said.
"The Government is in ongoing discussions with Australia about a trans-Tasman travel bubble once it is safe to do so."
Earlier this week, both Tourism NZ and Air New Zealand said they were expecting a two-way travel bubble with all of Australia to open in the first three months of 2021.
Census data from 2011 shows that more than 80,000 Kiwis live in Victoria and in the year ended June 2019, 345,900 New Zealanders visited the state for a holiday - a number only beaten by visitors from China.
