Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building and the Convention and Exhibition Centre are primed to play a key role in vaccinating thousands of Victorian emergency workers against COVID-19.
The Department of Health on Friday confirmed plans are in the works to use the sites as high-volume vaccination centres as part of the next stage of the nation's vaccine rollout.
Negotiations are also underway to use Geelong's former Ford factory, almost five years on from the US automaker shutting down production.
"The commencement of these sites in the coming weeks, and other potential locations across the state, will depend on vaccine supply from the commonwealth," a spokeswoman said in a statement on Friday.
With over 20,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses already administered in Victoria, the move would help boost the state's capacity to give the jab to police, fire and emergency service workers.
It comes as Victoria racks up two weeks without recording a locally transmitted case of coronavirus.
There were no local or overseas acquired COVID-19 cases on Friday following 18,827 tests, with just two active cases remaining in the state.
Meanwhile, Victorians have snapped up 40,000 travel vouchers in a matter of seconds after they came up for grabs on Friday morning.
The $200 travel vouchers were exhausted within four minutes as users flooded the Service Victoria website.
It's the first batch of coupons to be offered for activities in metropolitan Melbourne, with previous rounds focusing on regional tourism.
"The vouchers will provide another shot in the arm as the city continues its steady recovery," Victorian Tourism Minister Martin Pakula said.
When the first round of the program was launched in December, eager holiday-makers crashed the website.
The voucher scheme returned amid complaints Victoria has copped an "unfair" deal in the federal plan to halve the cost of flights to 13 tourist regions.
Avalon Airport is so far the only Victorian destination to be included in the scheme, with the state government lobbying Canberra for Melbourne, Mildura and Albury to join the list.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the federal government will consider adding more destinations, but refused to be lectured.
"(It's) a bit rich coming out and criticising the federal government when we have provided so much support for Melbourne, for regional Victoria, for the state of Victoria in general," he told reporters on Friday.
"When it's been the Victorian Labor government that at the drop of a hat has closed its border and then caused so much heartbreak and hardship for so many people in this state."
Meanwhile, flights from New Zealand to Australia have been allowed to resume, as restrictions lift after a virus outbreak in Auckland.
The flight restrictions were lifted as of midnight Thursday, with Auckland listed as an "orange zone" under Victoria's permit system.
Travellers must apply for a permit to enter the state, get tested within 72 hours of arrival, and stay home until they receive a negative result.
But across the Tasman, the New Zealand government is resisting pressure to reduce its travel restrictions, and quarantine arrangements for Australian travellers remain in place.
Vic hatches plan for major vaccine sites - PerthNow
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