Suddenly it's started feeling like light at the end of the tunnel - picnics are back.
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The green spaces of Canberra were crowded at the weekend but, by all reports, with people mostly obeying the rules and keeping distance from strangers.
Families gathered - just like in the old days before the you-know-what happened.
On Monday, Evelina and Liliana Griffiths celebrated their joint seventh birthdays beside Yerrabi Pond.
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"It's the first time out for a picnic with the kids since the lockdown," their mother said.
She and her partner are both working at home so they've been taking it in turns to take the twins out for some fresh air. But not on Monday - it was a whole family gathering.
It was a great relief, April Langerak said.
"Both of us are working full-time plus home-schooling," she said. "It's a big ask."
There is a silver lining: the twins' reading has improved in lockdown.
The parents wondered what the long-term effect of the lockdown would be.
Would children going through this weird time learn how to socialise?
"The older they get, the bigger the impact," the twins' father, Brad Griffiths, said.
"That loss of freedom is important. It's the option that's taken away and that can take a toll."
A short distance away - but far more than the regulations demanded - sat three friends who had not actually seen each other face to face in months (because social media doesn't count).
Anna Young, Molly Young and Jordan Sarri were enjoying each other's company immensely.
Bags of chips and conversation were on the menu.
"We haven't seen each other since July," Molly said.
"We're going crazy at home. It's so nice to see my friends outside of a screen," Jordan said.
Some of the thrill was feeling part of a community again. "It's good seeing a lot of people out," Anna said.
On a Monday morning by the lake, there were kids scampering, mothers watching, experts in tai chi, a few Lycra lads on their bikes and a lot of people just taking in the easy sun of spring - just like it used to be.
Natalie Krile and eight-month-old Leo were there: "When it's nice and sunny like this, it's beautiful just to get out of the house."
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Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
