In April 1980, one small girl child was born to a couple of teenagers in the small town of Rushworth, Victoria. Ok, the mum (who was married, just in case you’re thinking she was Teen Mom-ing MTV-style) went into labour in Rushworth, had the baby get stuck millions of hours later, had a caesarean in the next big town, and went back to Rushworth in time to whack the baby’s head on the tap during her first bath.
The small girl child lived here and in surrounding towns for the next few years, and travelled back every so often for family Christmases and to get drunk on the high school oval and get lost going home two streets away. She also attended schools in this town for a bit here and there, mostly to paste Bros posters on her folder and learn all the words to The Proclaimers songs.
The visits became even more sporadic as an adult, and the last time she’d visited was 2001, when she had a lip piercing and a stone-cold, dead heart.
She will also now stop describing herself in the third person and show you what she found when she went back this year. A time warp, people. Shit that hasn’t changed since she was a kid. Except there’s now a bakery and most of the shops are shut. And they replaced the burning-hot kid-unfriendly way-too-high metal slide she once fell off and was convinced she’d broken her arm with a much more boring red plastic affair. RIP slide.
This isn’t even the right town, it’s the next one over, but how pretty is it?!
Ok here’s the right one:
I feel like getting drunk on the oval just looking at the joint.
I grew up in a small country town and whenever I return, it always astounds me how many people have never left.
That’s so funny because I only ever lived in small towns, and EVERYONE has gotten out!
Are you pointing your avocado at me? Hahaha. Love from a fifth generation, small town dweller. (Moved away but came back, got married, had kids). 🙂
Avocado-pointing is only EVER in the eye of the beholder…
I’m on this site because I’ve just seen a beautiful old home for sale and want to check it out….would love to go back to an old town to live….
what’s the vibe in Rushworth? I’ve been looking for a suitable location for a little while now…
I can totally get how a small country town would be like hell to a teenager but to me right now, that place is gorgeous! I love a country town! I love that they never, never change, stuck in some time warp. I bet it even still smells the same!
Had to giggle at your Bros and Proclaimers reference .. that was me! haha! Oh those boys were so pretty!
I know, I was actually looking at houses for sale there! I think it would be quite a sweet place to grow up. But all the teenagers move away…
I would walk 500 miles just to be the girl that got drunk on the oval with you 😉 x
haha you could have helped me get home.
Nah I would probably have been too pissed myself 😉
We’d probably just pee our pants laughing
Thanks for that xxx
I thought you’d like it!
I know exactly where you are…My relos are in Colbo down the rd which is also where my Dad’s mum is from. You probably went to school with some of them. Small world! Not much now in Rushy though. I think hubby has to play footy there in a few weeks time. On the rd again…..
Oh man I couldn’t believe how quiet it was! It was sad to see all the shops closed down.
Ha! Memory lane for me too!! I spent my childhood holidays hanging out at my Aunty and Uncle’s on 9 Mile Road in Rushy, I’m 4 years your junior so similar time frame. Small small world!
Teeny tiny world! It was a pretty cool place to spend holidays as a kid.
Way to smack me in the face with nostalgia! I live in Western Australia now but I grew up in Wodonga. My folks moved to Bendigo after I finished school so I was driving through there every other weekend. Many a wee-stop was had in Rushworth and the sausage rolls at the bakery are the bomb.
That old hotel on the other side of the Murchison bridge was always a favourite place of mine and I had my little sister convinced it was haunted so she had to hold her breathe as we drove past.
Haha I have wee’d many times in Rushworth. And I was just in Bendigo yesterday! Wee’d there too.
So amazing to see all these photos! Did you get a pic of nana’s place at all? xxxx
It looked sad and not like her place, so I didn’t.
Great photo’s Mama! It tis a small world awesome to see those towns are just down the road from me…we take day trips with the kids sometimes to Murch & Rushy to have fun out of the rat race…counter meals at the pub while the kids can run around…quiet playgrounds, slower pace of life…working on hubby to try to move to a smaller country town for the kids to grow up in…no luck so far! ha!
You must be one cool chickadee, i’m also born April 1980…my lucky day is the 11th! Aries?
Taurus 😉
The place looks deserted to me. My husband came from a smaller country town, but I’ve lived in Brisbane all my life. You know you’ve hit a country town when nothing is open after 5pm at night!
Um, I think it looks deserted to everyone…
Rushworth? I have vague recollections of landing in your home town after getting lost just near Seymour on my P Plates in the late 90s. (long story). I grew up in a small town and going back can be like a trip to the dentist – a huge pile of anxiety until I’m about to leave and realise it really wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. The whole town still seems to be in shock that I left for Sydney…..and stayed!!