Escape to Loch, Victoria: 'I don’t think people would be as lonely here'

The village of Loch in the Gippsland region in Victoria is a popular detour off the highway for cyclists and motorbike tourers, day trippers on the weekends, and tourists heading to Phillip Island.

At just over 100 kilometres from Melbourne, with regular buses in the morning and the evening, commuting to the city is doable – but with a strong, supportive community, residents may prefer to stay closer to home.

It’s about to host its annual Food and Wine Festival over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, but there’s no shortage of places to eat and drink all year round.

Population: 638, as of the 2016 Census, although the population of the village proper is closer to 300.

Who lives here?

Rob Hicks, a local wine appreciation expert and teacher, described the town as a mix of long-term “stoic, gently smiling” locals, and “go get ’em” more recent arrivals looking to start new businesses.

Both groups got on marvellously, he said, and went out of their way to support each other.

“There’s no divide here with those who can call themselves locals and newcomers,” Mr Hicks said, having made a permanent move to the town in the past decade.

“We still pinch ourselves every morning when we get up, and wonder how we ever managed to get here,” he said.  “The outrageous levels of local beauty never fail to stir us.”

Other happy long-term transplants include Sandra Gawn, who runs popular local institution Olive at Loch’s. Her son, Demons footballer Max Gawn, attracts a bit of interest when he’s behind the counter pulling a coffee.

Previously a Sandringham resident, she stumbled across the village while camping at nearby Inverloch. When she stopped in to buy a coffee with her husband, she discovered the coffee shop was for sale.

“It’s just lovely, it’s peaceful.” she said. “Everybody knows everyone, every looks after everyone.”

Amelia Daraio, of Amalia’s Loch — cafe by day and restaurant by night — followed her children to Gippsland and bought in Loch this time last year, She said she had been warmly embraced by the community.

“It’s like a changeover of people, bringing a fresh breath of life into Loch itself,” she said.  “They are very welcoming [and] friendly with each other.”

What happens here?

Despite its population, there’s plenty going on in the village, including a monthly farmers market.

“We have the big Food and Wine Festival on the Queen’s Birthday weekend,” Ms Gawn said.  “But actually for a small town, I can’t believe the amount of things they have on. There’s the markets, there’s the Winter-ruption (a series of events held over the winter, including a Makers Market) coming up, quilting expos, CWA women’s things, and art expos.”

Grahame Hastie, of local antiques store Carringtons of Loch Village, said he’d found more than enough to keep him busy in the tight-knit community.

“People say, whats your social life like? Well, we’ve got the winery on a Friday night, we have the Italian eatery, we have the pubs we go to,” he explained.

Loch Community Development Association vice-president Sarah Sullivan is behind the Winter-ruption Craft and Makers Markets being launched at the end of June.

“There’s so much potential and so much growth here,” she said. “If you want to be involved and do anything, there’s so much potential and support for that to happen.”

What’s life like here?

“The community is probably a big thing,” said Sandra Gawn. “You can actually get to know people in the community. You don’t know your neighbours in the city, do you?

“I don’t think people would be as lonely here. Everybody seems to work harder to keep the town lovely.”

Ms Daraio agreed, describing her neighbours as “wonderful”.  “It’s still got that country feel, where the neighbours still care about each other. It’s a beautiful little place,” she said.

Mr Hicks, too,  said he had found a community in Loch that had been lacking in their former Melbourne base.

“We were sort of bereft of people that we knew. One of the great advantages of moving into this region has been the amazing, continuously growing circle of friends we have,” he said.

He also remarked on how beautiful the town and its surrounds were, and how special it was.

“The afternoon light, right through the year – if the sun is out, you get this extraordinary, bright, vibrant light. It stops you in your tracks.”

What jobs are here?

Aside from the potential of commuting to larger nearby towns, or Melbourne itself, local businesses are also supported by the bustling  tourist trade.

Ms Gawn has seen the sleepy village grown in popularity as a place to visit, particularly on the weekends, with all sorts of people popping in.

“It was pretty quiet, but it’s actually gotten really busy. I think it’s a bit of a destination now,” she said. “There’s a lot of new businesses opened up as well. In the last five years it’s really taken off.”

Ms Daraio agreed, saying that they’d been “run off their feet” on Mothers Day. “You’d be surprised how many people stop in Loch, it’s very busy on the weekends,” she said.

Why move here?

One of the attractions of Loch is its small size. And it will stay that way.

 “It will never be developed as a major town because it’s restricted by farms,” Mr Hastie said “We’ll always be a village. it’s called Loch village for a reason.”

He likened Loch to being a “little diamond” in the area.

“It just spoke to me. It said, this is it, this is the one. I fell in love with it, with this lovely environment,” he said. “I think most city people are envious of the serenity in the town.”

Ms Sullivan said: “You’ve got your local shops, you can see so many regulars sitting outside having a coffee. It’s almost like an English Cotswolds sort of thing.”

Ms Daraio said that Loch was a “divine place to live”.

“In the city, you’re just a number but here, you’re more of a person,” she explained. “You have to want the lifestyle change, I think.

“You sort of feel like: I’m not far away from help, from support. That is a nice feeling.”