LAUGHTER, local produce and sightseeing were on the agenda when Buloke Shire women of all ages rolled into Sea Lake earlier this month.
The bus tour and gathering marked the first Buloke Women’s Network biannual get-together of the year.
Established in 2015, the network aims to provide a social outlet for rural women located within the shire.
Former Buloke Shire councillor Ellen White founded the network alongside Corack farmer Julie Slater eight years ago.
Passionate about rural communities, Australian agriculture and gender equity, the duo wanted to create a network that would not only bring women together, but also help showcase and acknowledge their contributions to the region.
Ms White said they aimed to host two events a year to coincide with International Women’s Day and International Rural Women’s Day.
“We try to find somewhere quirky or a little different and we use the talent that we’ve got within the Buloke Shire,” Ms White said.
“We have wonderful places within the Buloke Shire and this provides an opportunity for women to come together and explore their own backyard.”
While COVID-19 impacted past events, and the late finish to harvest pushed things back a little this year, Ms White said it was nice to return to some sort of normality.
The first instalment of this year’s tour was a sell-out event, attracting 120 people.
Destinations within the town included silo artworks, tourism information centre, Skymirror Gallery and Lake Tyrrell.
“It was an incredible experience,” Ms White said, noting the network had previously visited the town prior to the tourism boom.
Ms White said Sea Lake was the perfect example of a small rural town coming together to achieve great things in times of uncertainty.
“The vibrancy of the community really resonated with the women,” Ms White said.
“A little bit of hard work can make a big difference.”
