Spotlight on Shepparton
If you've ever bitten into a juicy peach or pear, chances are it came from Australia's fruit capital, Shepparton, in the Goulburn Valley of north-central Victoria.
The Goulburn Valley is known as Australia’s food bowl and, given the region grows around 90 per cent of the nation’s pears, there are plans afoot to give Shepparton a $1.3 million ‘Big Pear’ that will soar three storeys high. But the region’s charms extend beyond fresh produce. The multicultural city of ‘Shepp’, just 191 kilometres and a little over two hours’ drive from Melbourne, has bounced back from the devastating floods of October 2022 and today has a thriving arts scene and festival calendar.
OGLE ART
The striking building you see as you drive into Shepparton is the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM). The five-level, ‘small and tall’ architect-designed building is a work of art in itself and houses one of Australia’s most important collections of historical and contemporary art with a focus on modern and Indigenous works.
If you time your visit for later this year, you will get a chance to see two blockbuster exhibitions. From 23 May to 20 September, SAM will host the touring exhibition Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso. Then, from 5 September to 1 November, the museum will be the only place in Victoria where you can catch the Archibald Prize 2026, Australia’s most prestigious portraiture exhibition.
