The world champion rower has been with the Victorian Institute of Sport and won gold at the 2007 World Championships and the 2010 Lucerne World Cup.

She also won silver at the 2013 Sydney World Cup and at the 2014 Lucrene World Cup. 

McNamara isn’t only a rower but also a stair climb champion and in 2011 was first place in the Empire State Building Run, first place in the 2012 KL Tower Run and first place in the 2013 Skyrise Chicago Wills Tower Run. 

She said she chose Wimmera Base Hospital because she heard everyone was down to earth and wanted to be further away from Melbourne. 

“Something I really like around this area is the Grampians – I am really looking forward to it,” she said. 

“As a child my parents used to take me to the Grampians and I really enjoyed it, I hadn’t been there since.

“I have come to really appreciate the country’s natural beauty.” 

McNamara is looking forward to exploring the region.

She said she bought maps to the Grampians to find all the must-see areas. 

“What is great about Horsham is you can drive 10 minutes out of town and there are different places to explore,” she said. 

“It’s very peaceful.” 

She has already visited the Grampians three times in the two weeks she has been in the region.

McNamara said she expected she would go out to the mountains on many more occasions. 

“Horsham running group will be taking me to Mount Arapiles in the next week,” she said. 

“I’m betting I will have a lot of good trips around the region.” 

McNamara has been part of the Australian rowing team for 11 years and she said it had been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

“I had the opportunity to train with some of the best coaches and it also allowed me to do a lot of travelling,” she said. 

“With my sporting life I also gained a university degree. 

“In that time I won two world championships.” 

She said rowers did a lot of cross training and that was what got her into stair climbing. 

“The random thing is we entered in as a charity team for the Victorian Institute of Sport,” she said.

“I remember it was awful in the building, people panting and puffing.

“I thought someone was going to pass out. 

“I just wanted to finish so I went as hard as I could and finished the tower in about nine minutes, I was exhausted. I then got home and they called to say I had won and that’s how I got into it.”