Whether family means relatives or those with close enough relationships to call family, it’s truly a time for togetherness. 

For some the Easter period might mean attending church; while for others it might mean a weekend of camping or simply a break from work or school.

For many, it’s a good excuse for tucking into hot cross buns and copious amounts of chocolate amid the extended break. 

Last year during the Easter period, my family embarked on an adventure – in our own backyard. 

Living in the Wimmera means many fantastic opportunities to explore our natural wonders. We didn’t need to travel far from our family home – 10 minutes, in fact – to explore mountain ranges, experience local produce and switch off from the day-to-day demands of our work and lives. 

It was so relaxing that despite spending the time so close to home, we could have been worlds away. 

It prompted me to think about all the wonderful experiences we have available to us here in the Wimmera – sometimes forgotten about as we look to travel and explore further afield. 

Both domestic and international visitors are recognising the great things the Wimmera and Grampians has to offer – and in serious numbers. It’s fantastic to see, as detailed in today’s page 1 report, that visitor numbers to the Grampians have reached a 10-year high and brought in $300 million to the region during 2017.

The region experienced a 37.3 per cent increase on interstate visitors from 2016 to 2017 – higher than any other area in the state – while domestic visitors increased by 22.7 per cent. 

That is some serious growth.

The Stawell Gift and Y-Fest at Warracknabeal will attract an influx of visitors this weekend while thousands of campers are expected to fill sites and enjoy the surrounds of the Grampians National Park and Mt Arapiles. 

Those visitors will spend money and will likely leave with stories of our great region to share with their family and friends – and so the cycle continues.

Regardless of what Easter means to you, what better time to explore our great region than this weekend. 

Jessica Grimble, editor