“It is the Goulburn River and its man-made tributaries that make Shepparton tick so loudly in its beautiful valley.”
So wrote Ian Aird in 1954, seemingly smitten by the town as if he’d never ventured much beyond the outer suburbs of Melbourne.
“Water has built Shepparton from nothing 100 years ago to the fourth city … in Victoria outside the sprawl of Melbourne,” he wrote.
“It has built Shepparton and district into such fruitfulness that within the immediate neighbourhood … are grown wheat, oats, hay, sheep, cattle, fat lambs, dairying, fruit, tomatoes, vegetables, poultry, pigs, honey, fodder, olive oil and flowers.
“Take the water away and you take Shepparton away.”
The Shepparton Heritage Centre is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested, contact the centre on 4831 8659.
