The newly-minted Melbourne Rebels captain is something of a tour guide for his teammates in Canberra having spent nine years as an ACT Brumby.

"It's a bit of a return home for me, I love coming back," To'omua said.

Weeks ago To'omua and his teammates clamored for a glimpse of Dan Andrews on a handful of phone screens. Hearing the word "lockdown" meant the race was on to get across the border.

So now they find themselves in Canberra preparing for their Super Rugby AU season opener against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Friday night.

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To'omua will take the captaincy reins as Dane Haylett-Petty continues to manage the concussion symptoms which have kept him sidelined since late last year.

The Rebels set up camp in Canberra last season as well, which 31-year-old To'omua says has helped them to prepare for the unknown.

But that's not to say it was all smooth sailing when the Rebels were told to pack their bags for five days with a warning that timeframe could be anything.

"Probably a little bit of PTSD as well when we heard we were going again," To'omua grinned.

"There were plans to potentially go up to Queensland, but that would have meant a significant difference in terms of not being able to bring families up.

"Players suggested 'can we go back up to Canberra?' We can drive, we can have our cars, it's so easy to get around here, golf courses are easy to get on.

"The initial shock wasn't ideal. We had a few hours to pack, get ready and go, so I've forgotten quite a few things.

"We're in a much better space than we were last year in terms of how the situation is unfolding in Melbourne. Canberra was actually our choice as players to come to."

The Rebels will fly to Brisbane for their clash with the Reds on Friday before returning for a date with the ACT Brumbies at Canberra Stadium in round three.

The Rebels and Brumbies swapped home fixtures to avoid Western Australian border restrictions impacting Melbourne's trip to Perth in round four.

Now the Rebels will play in Canberra next week before flying to Perth to meet the Western Force the week after. Then they can turn their attention to their first home game in more than 12 months as the club looks to build on last season's maiden finals appearance.

"We learnt a lot, we played our first final in 10 years and you can look at it in a few ways. We either didn't make the final, or we made the finals by being away the whole year," To'omua said.

"Our expectations are very much setting that as a marker, we want to be better than that provided we can get a few home games.

"If everything goes to plan we will be on the road for four weeks which most teams do every year anyway. Dealing with the unknown is probably the bit we've got to work on.

"With that being said, what we know at the moment is we're here for a few weeks and then we get to go home and play in front of a home crowd later in the year which would be a nice little outcome for us."