Hugs, tears and the occasional socially distanced rendezvous were on show at Tasmania's major airport as the island state reopened to mainland states and territories.
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For Lesley, Wednesday's lifting of border restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers meant she was able to fly from Sydney for her son Rohan's university graduation.
She touched down at Hobart Airport after travelling from Bathurst, just in time for Thursday's ceremony.
Rohan was there to greet her, alongside partner Tash, with a colourful cardboard sign reading 'Mum'.
"I did tell them I wanted a sign, and they've done it," Lesley told AAP..
"As soon as they said they were opening on the 15th, I booked the first flight.
"It was a couple of days travel to get here ... (I'll be) able to spend time with these two beautiful people, spend Christmas with them."
Under the reopening plan, people coming from designated high-risk areas must return a negative test in the 72 hours before they arrive and present proof at the border.
International travellers still face a seven-day quarantine period.
Lauren, who returned home from Berlin after going several years without seeing her Tasmanian family, is one of them.
She had to keep her distance from mother Judy after arriving on the first flight of the day from Melbourne, meaning hugs were off the table.
"It's a relief. I'm really grateful to be back again," she said.
"I'm going to skate a lot and obviously spend Christmas with Mum. I was actually coming for my 20-year school reunion as well but I'll be in quarantine."
The island state was the first Australian jurisdiction to shut its borders at the beginning of the pandemic and has had on-and-off travel restrictions for the better part of two years.
The state has been largely spared the internal restrictions implemented across Australia and has been essentially free of community cases since a deadly outbreak early last year.
It has no active cases in a population of more than 541,000, and has in total recorded 238 infections and 13 deaths.
The reopening is seen as a big shot in the arm for an ailing tourism industry but unions have raised concerns about the readiness of the state's health system.
Hobart Airport is expecting some 5000 incoming travellers on Wednesday. More than 90 per cent of Tasmanians over 16 are fully vaccinated.
"We've got a highly vaccinated population. We've got the systems in place. We are ready," Premier Peter Gutwein told ABC radio.
"There will be twists and turns but I believe we are very well prepared."
Tasmania has been swift to implement border restrictions during the pandemic to safeguard a population older than the national average.
Australian Associated Press
