Shepparton: Family, Memories & a Few Cows

After three big days in Melbourne, the adventure changed pace — and this part of the trip was always going to be a little more personal.

We boarded the train at Southern Cross and settled in for the journey north to Shepparton.

About two and a half hours later, we arrived.

But this wasn’t really about ticking another destination off the list.

This was about family.

Straight into Shepparton life

There was no easing into it.

We caught up with family, settled in and somehow found ourselves with an absolutely amazing Vietnamese takeaway.

Which, as introductions to Shepparton go, was a pretty excellent start.

Up the Shepparton Tower

Of course, being us, simply relaxing wasn’t going to last forever.

So up the famous Shepparton Observation Tower we went.

Up.

And up.

And up some more.

The view over Shepparton was worth it.

Our legs may have had a slightly different opinion.

A road trip within the road trip

Shepparton also became the starting point for a little adventure of its own, with a drive out to Nagambie.

That’s one of the things we’re loving about this trip.

The main destination leads to another destination, which leads to another story, another discovery and another reason to keep exploring.

There are cows everywhere

Then there are the cows.

If you’ve spent any time around Shepparton, you’ll know exactly what we mean.

Colourful, painted cows seem to appear everywhere — part of Shepparton’s wonderfully quirky Moooving Art.

Once you notice the first one, you start looking for the next.

And then suddenly spotting cows has become part of the adventure.

Dad’s old stomping grounds

But one of the best parts of our time here couldn’t really be found on a tourist map.

We got a tour of Dad’s old stomping grounds.

The places he knew. The places with stories attached to them. The bits of Shepparton that mean something because they’re connected to memories rather than landmarks.

And that made this stop completely different to Melbourne.

This was why we came south

The tower, Nagambie, the food and the painted cows have all been great.

But the real reason for coming to Shepparton was much simpler.

Spending time with family.

Catching up. Sitting around together. Sharing meals. Hearing stories. Laughing. And having the time to simply enjoy each other’s company.

Sometimes the biggest part of an adventure isn’t somewhere new.

Sometimes it’s reconnecting with somewhere — and someone — that matters.

We’ve thoroughly loved every minute of Shepparton.

And really, this was what the trip south was all about.

The world is one big adventure — DARE to go there!®