On the Road Again–Harrow Victoria

Our first stop on the road from Hamilton to Darwin.

Harrow RV Parking Area

Excitement has been mounting over the last few weeks as we packed and prepare the caravan for our long journey back to the Northern Territory, first Katherine to see our son and granddaughter and then on to Darwin for our daughter’s wedding in June. Seeing we have been away overseas for the last year we are looking forward to being part of the wedding preparation.


By late evening we called it a day  after packing ‘The Tardis’ as Trish has nicknamed the caravan (as it looks much bigger inside then from the outside) with the intention of being up early on the 8th to set off.


Hamilton to Harrow 8th May 2012
Our intention of leaving early soon passed as we were still busy packing the car and caravan. The last few days have been cold and drizzly so it was pleasant to finally see the sun again with some warmer weather.
By 2.30pm the caravan was now hooked up to the Navarra and with our final farewell to Steve’s Mum, we left Mum’s house in Hamilton at 2.45pm for the 3767 kilometre trip to Darwin. Our first destination is the historical town of Harrow in Victoria.

Harrow – Victoria



The 100k journey through the western Victorian countryside went smoothly and we arrived in Harrow at 4.30pm. At the entrance to the town is a sign ‘Harrow is an RV Friendly Town’  people waved to us as we drove down the main street as we made our way to the RV parking area next to the Glenelg River. 

Harrow RV Parking Area



This is a picturesque spot with tall gum trees and local park area. We walked into the town past some old houses, garage, general store and post office. You have to pay $12 for the caravan site at the Barrow Café.
An interesting find was a cemetery of a different kind with gravestones made of fibro with amusing captions. We stopped for a drink in the local pub where we chatted to the local people.
 
Click read more below for more…..



Harrow is 391 kilometres north west of the state capital Melbourne, overlooking the Glenelg River valley. At the 2006 census, Harrow and the surrounding area had a population of 96. There is no mobile phone coverage at all and the public phone box is still used.

Harrow major Mitchel Monument

The first European explorer of the area was Thomas Mitchell and a monument marks the spot where he crossed the Glenelg River. 

Harrow is the burial place of Johnny Mullagh, member of the Australian Aboriginal cricket team, the first Australian cricket team to tour England.

In recent years, there has been a drift away from Harrow to larger towns in the region. In an effort to counteract this, Harrow has pioneered several popular events such as the regular “Beaut Blokes” events. 



The event was established to offset a perceived gender imbalance by introducing women from cities such as Melbourne and Geelong to single men from the district. The concept has now been picked up by other rural communities throughout Australia. A sound and light show is held regularly, retelling the history of Harrow in a humorous and interactive manner.

Harrow Church
Main Street, Harrow, Victoria

Leave a Reply