February has to be one of my favourite months when it comes to exploring regional Victoria.
The hot sun still kisses the skin, the school holiday rush simmers down, but the buzz of summer events and festivals still hum through the air. There’s excitement, and there’s a whole lot of love in the air!
A festival that leans right into that goodness is Murray River-based staple, Riverboats Music Festival. Running during cupid’s time of year, Riverboats banks on good music, good company, and unbeatable location. We explore the dynamic lineup and the enduring legacy of the festival with festival director, Dave Frazer.
As always we hang around locally for our travel guide, Local’s Lounge and In The Studio, with Riverboats local card The Wildlings sitting on our sofa, and Lyn-Al Young taking us through her studio and new family gallery in Echuca.
Matching the big music energy of Riverboats, our feature stars this month are all big guns. There’s The Beaches, Newton Faulkner, The Rions, and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings…and just a handful of Grammy awards between them.
In food, we have a platter of pairings – Beach House Barwon Heads, Shelter Shed, East Geelong Golf Club, and Sticks and Stones Café in our venue spotlights, and The Mushroom Collection as our supplier of the month.
This month we also say hello to some new faces – step inside Basalt Retreat, welcome new Ocean Grove-based label Maisie, and become reacquainted with a comedian reinventing himself for the stage. Speaking of makeovers, this month we also sit down with interior design wizard, Kaylene Bryce of Belso Design Studio, touring her most recent residential projects.
What did I tell you? February is a great month!
Tammy Walters, Editor-In-Chief
