There’s something pretty special about waking up beside a river, stepping outside your caravan with a coffee in hand and watching the water drift past. It’s even better when you can leave the car parked, pull on your walking shoes and be in the centre of town within minutes.
Horsham Riverside Caravan Park manages to offer both.
Sitting on the banks of the Wimmera River, this is one of those caravan parks where location really is everything. Our powered site had uninterrupted river views, giving us a front-row seat to one of Horsham’s prettiest natural assets.
One of our favourite things about staying here was simply being outside.
The riverfront setting attracts plenty of birdlife, with beautiful lorikeets providing regular bursts of colour in the trees around the park. If you enjoy birdwatching, you don’t necessarily need to go looking for it here. Sometimes you just need to pull up a chair outside the caravan and see what appears.
There’s also a walking path following the Wimmera River, so you can step straight out of the park and explore on foot. It’s perfect for a morning walk, an afternoon wander or simply stretching your legs after a day on the road.
Despite those peaceful river views, you’re definitely not camping in the middle of nowhere.
The Horsham Botanic Gardens are right next door, while the centre of Horsham is within easy walking distance. Cafes, shops and places to stock up on supplies are all close by, so once the caravan is set up, you can happily leave the car parked for a while.
That combination is surprisingly hard to find. You get the outlook and atmosphere of riverside camping without sacrificing the convenience of staying close to town.
The park has all the essentials covered, with powered sites, water, toilets, showers and laundry facilities.
The newly renovated camp kitchen is a standout. There are tables and chairs, two stoves, ovens, fridges and sinks for washing up, giving you plenty of room to prepare a proper meal if you don’t feel like cooking back at the caravan.
There’s also a large couch and television area. It might not be the first thing you think about when choosing a caravan park, but having somewhere comfortable to get out of the weather sometimes is a very welcome bonus.
Horsham also makes a great base for discovering the incredible silo art scattered throughout the Wimmera.
You don’t have to travel far to get started. Horsham has its own silo artwork just a few minutes’ drive from the caravan park.
From there, head out into the surrounding Wimmera and there are several more impressive works of art to discover within around an hour’s drive. Sheep Hills and Arkona are two worth adding to the itinerary, while the wider Silo Art Trail provides plenty of inspiration if you’re continuing your journey through western Victoria.
These enormous artworks have transformed working grain silos into giant outdoor canvases, and chasing them through small country towns is a fantastic way to see more of the region than you might otherwise discover.
You could easily spend an afternoon exploring or even make a day of it.
Read: Road Trip the Victoria Silo Art Trail: Australia’s Largest Outdoor Gallery
If the silo art hasn’t provided enough colour for one road trip, there’s another unusual Wimmera attraction within easy reach.
Loch iel Pink Lake sits beside the Western Highway at Dimboola, making it an incredibly easy addition to a day exploring from Horsham.
Depending on the conditions, the salt lake can take on beautiful shades of pink, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding landscape. It’s unusual, photogenic and, best of all, you don’t need to embark on a major detour to see it.
Combine Loch iel with some of the nearby silo art and you have the makings of a brilliant Wimmera road trip.
Horsham could easily be treated as somewhere to pull up for the night on the way to somewhere else.
In my opinion, that would be a mistake.
Lani Day
Writer & Creator | The Van Wife Diaries
Lani and her husband Warren, have been travelling through Far North Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia in their caravan. They are currently falling in love with Victoria, discovering unique stays and hidden gems of the region along the way.
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