How long have you lived in Myrtleford?

Nineteen years. I came up from Melbourne when I retired, my wife and I, we sold up in Melbourne in North Dandenong. We came up here and bought a block of land out in Clemens Lane, which is a cow paddock and we built a very nice house out there on four acres. We've recently sold in Clemens Lane for a much smaller property before it became too much.

What are your hobbies or interests?

I do a bit of clay target shooting down at the Wangaratta Clay Target Club and I sail a very small catamaran every weekend over at Lake Mulwala, Yarrawonga.

What do you like about the area?

Visually, it's a beautiful part of Victoria. There’s no two ways about it. The King Valley is nice, but the Ovens Valley is so much nicer leading up towards Bright and up into the mountains. The valley in particular just here, it's a bit wide, it's very open, it's a little bit cooler than it would be, for example, in Wangaratta. We get a nice breeze up and down the valley.

Where would you take visitors to showcase the area?

Depends what they wanted to see, but you go up to Lake Buffalo, it's a lovely drive and a lovely place to see. You can take a trip to Yackandandah or Beechworth, which are very tourist-oriented towns. Up the Buffalo River Valley and further up the Ovens Valley - it's just a lovely place.

Is there anything you would change about the area?

Make it invisible so no one else can come here – no I wouldn’t do that. I have noticed that it's become much more visible to visitors, weekenders and holiday people and that, in one sense, is a good thing. But it's become a lot busier here in the streets, which is okay for business. I would hope that you could keep this place as countrified as it is at the moment.