Standing 381m above sea level, looking out to the unique colours and shapes of the country Victorian landscapes.
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Taking in a deep breath and some hard-earned water after the hike.
The peak of Dookie’s Mt Major is a long-time favourite for Sam Birrell.
‘‘One of the things I really like is that I can see the Goulburn Valley; so you’ve got the flat lands of the irrigated agriculture around Shepparton, then you can see the rim of the Strathbogie Ranges, on a clear day in winter you can see the snow on top of Mt Buller,’’ he said.
‘‘I just love the aspect of seeing so far, but I also find it so geologically interesting because Mt Major was a volcano millions of years ago and a lot of the soil we can see and the red soil was from lava flow and lava deposits.’’
But more than just the ever-changing 360° views that Mr Birrell attempts to get up and take in as often as possible, it is the Dookie area that has something special for him.
Having grown up by the banks of the Goulburn River just north of Murchison, Mr Birrell’s childhood was one filled with outdoor adventures.
It was at a young age that he developed an appreciation for nature and the great outdoors.
Getting to the end of high school with no clear-cut career goals in mind, Mr Birrell found himself working on a farm in Ardmona.
It was that job that increased his passion for the outdoors and made him develop a strong interest in agriculture.
Two years on, at age 20, Mr Birrell enrolled himself at the Dookie Agricultural College where he completed a bachelor of applied science and agriculture.
And it was then that his connection to the land of Dookie was established.
Living in the town of Dookie, it was not uncommon for Mr Birrell to be found taking a walk on Mt Major — some days even walking from his home in town, over Mt Major and on to the college.
‘‘And I’ve been walking up here ever since really,’’ he said.
Although many aspects of his life have since changed, his love for Mt Major and the landscapes of country Victoria is something Mr Birrell continues to hold on to.
Having travelled far and wide through a role he pursued with an Israeli irrigation manufacturing company for a number of years, and finding himself in different locations for various time periods throughout the years, Mr Birrell said there was nothing like coming back to his home land.
‘‘I get a bit homesick for the landscapes,’’ he said.
‘‘If I don’t see a redgum or a forest along the river for a long time, I feel like I’m missing it a lot.
‘‘Travelling so much really made me appreciate what we have here.’’
So the Goulburn Valley remained home.
In 2013, Mr Birrell took part in the Fairley Leadership Program, where he combined his love for the Goulburn Valley and agriculture to take a step further in the Shepparton community.
Just two years later and Mr Birrell took his title as chief executive of the Committee for Greater Shepparton.
While his role is not necessarily based around agriculture, Mr Birrell said his tertiary education and life experiences assisted him on a regular basis in his position.
Three years in as chief executive, Mr Birrell said he enjoyed his role in working alongside elected representatives to unite community leadership with other organisations and ultimately improve the region of Greater Shepparton.
Although Mr Birrell leads a busy life as a chief executive, as a husband to Lisa, a father to children Sophie, 11, and David, 8, and a keen musician when he has a spare moment to get out the guitar, he felt that visits to his favourite place of Mt Major were a special time that he would continue on for many years to come.
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