Tourist-trap or hidden gem in the middle of nowhere? Having fallen in love with Cactus Country, Lipei makes the case that this cacti farm and bar in Victoria, is both. 

 

We acknowledge that this adventure is located on Yorta Yorta Nation, the traditional Country of the Yorta Yorta people who have occupied and cared for this land and water for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Highlights

  • Gigantic and rare succulents
  • Being a tourist in my own country
  • A great road-trip pit stop between VIC and NSW

 

Whilst in NSW and VIC’s border town of Albury-Wodonga, I was sipping my second shot of espresso when someone passing by said ‘cactus country’. We were road-tripping from Wollongong to Tasmania and had stopped in Albury for a night to visit the famous art gallery.

After a bit of Googling and net-junking of random photos online, we packed up the next morning and drove out to a town called Strathmerton. There it was, a giant tourist-trap of a sign in the middle of nowhere: Welcome to Cactus Country. It looks like quite the cliche… in a really good way.

 

 

Cactus Country is really a cacti nursery set on an open vast land with laneways paved out for us to admire these wild and rare succulents without getting ourselves pricked.

If you’re a crazy indoor plant parent, a succulent collector or just a lover of all plants, this is definitely your paradise. Many of the succulent species here are rare and even if they aren’t, they’re enormous; some have been claimed by thick spider webs as they’ve been living there for a long time.

 

 

So there we were, trying hard not to trample over heart-shaped succulents on steroids; with our frozen margaritas in one hand and a Corona in the other (yes this piece of land is licensed).

If you’re planning a road trip through northern Victoria absolutely check this place out. It may not be the active microadventure that we constantly seek on a road trip, but it’s a microadventure of being a tourist in our own country. Take my money Cactus Country.

 

Essential Gear

  • Your inner crazy plant lover
  • Money for the bar!
  • Camera of course – a photo here is worthy of a place on the grid

Read more: Remember to leave no trace!

How To Get There

Cactus Country is located in Strathmerton, Victoria, just a three-hour drive from Melbourne. This small town is located where the Goulburn Valley and Murray Valley Highway cross paths. Type Cactus Country Strathmerton into Google Maps and find the easiest way to plan your trip.

Skill Level

Beginner

 

Difficulty rating: 0/10

Discovery rating: 10/10