It was the world-class rock climbing that brought Sara Barron and her family to Victoria’s Wimmera, but the “surprising beauty and lifestyle” which keeps them there.
UK-born Sara and her Kiwi husband Tony Barron moved to the agricultural region with their young daughter after more than a decade in London.
Tony, a keen climber, had bought a block of land in the Wimmera years earlier, with an eye to one day living close to the climbing mecca of Mt Arapiles, known by Traditional Owners as Dyurrite, and the Grampians.
“I had visited the region with him for many years, quietly horrified at the prospect of actually putting down roots in the area,” Sara says.
“But with plans for a bigger family, it felt right to give our children the opportunity to grow up in a less frenetic world.
“Many of my preconceived fears about what it would be like to live in the Wimmera region haven’t born fruit at all. It may appear vast and homogenous at first glance, but there is diversity, artistic and entrepreneurial creativity and an incredible community spirit in the most surprising of places!” Sara says.
The world-leading Grains Innovation Park in Horsham attracts researchers from around the world.
“There’s a big Karen community in Nhill and we have people from many other cultures including Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Sudanese, Serbian and a growing Latino population too,” she says.
“My work in migration and regional development brings immense purpose and I’m wholly committed to the future of the Wimmera,” Sara says.
