Jock and I in Horsham. Photograph: Stuart Scott/Culturpology

After the vibrant cities of Sydney and Melbourne, we headed into the great Victorian countryside, past fields and little townships. Although bush fires have blazed through the Grampians National Park earlier this year, none of the destruction was visible on the beautiful drive from Dunkeld, via Halls Gap to Horsham. We met Time Twin Jock in the Victorian Hotel in Horsham, a tranquil city of 14,000 in the Wimmera Region: the principle breadbasket of Victoria. Over lunch we learnt about the freedom of country life, the differences between urban and rural Australia, Jock’s life as a family man, managing director of Small Aire, speedway driver and his passion for fishing and country pursuits. Huge thanks to Jock for his time and also thanks to the Horsham and Grampians Visitor Information Centre for giving us a great insight into the city and its surroundings.

Horsham is at heart an agricultural city, and Jock comes from a farming family himself. It is a tough environment to farm, however, with fifteen successive years of droughts, followed by severe floods in 2011 and just 3mm of rainfall last winter. However, despite these challenges, the city appears to be prospering, with more families escaping Melbourne and the big cities, opting for the country life and setting up their homes here.