One of those is Devenish.
And one of the reasons it is such a great place to lice, and visit, is June Howard.
Ms Howard purchased land there in 2002, before building her home and moving in, in 2013.
She was no stranger to the area, with her mother living in Devenish, and Benalla being a favourite place to stop for a coffee when traversing the Hume Hwy in the 1960s.
“Before Devenish we were living in Emerald, in the Dandenong Ranges,” she said.
“Before then, we spent several years overseas in Bougainville in New Guinea.
“But mum was here in Devenish, and she was getting on and needed some assistance.
“So we decided to come and live here.”
June said that she had seen some changes in Devenish since 2013.
“We’ve improved the park, we’ve had new drainage put through and new footpaths,” she said.
“But, of course, the most important one in my opinion is the silos. That’s been my baby, and it is getting so many visitors now, which is great.”
June was one of the first members of the Devenish community to work towards having its silos decorated, with a view to being part of the North-East Silo Art Trail.
“We saw the street art in Benalla and thought it was great for the community,” she said.
“Then Tungamah did their silo, and there was Sophia (the mural) in the church in Goorambat.
“We called a community meeting, and about 40 people turned up, which was magnificent for Devenish.”
June said the next step was to raise funds and apply for grants.
“It involved knocking on business doors asking for donations,” she said.
“Then we chose a military theme, which wasn’t necessarily what anyone else in Benalla or surrounds was doing.
“Or that many artists wanted to do. Luckily, we found Cam Scales. He did a great job.
“We had the first two done in 2018. They were the World War I-era nurse and the modern medic.
“We chose those as it was the year of the female, and we had two female medics.
“Then the following year, Cam came back and did the Light Horse mural.”
On top of the military-themed silos, June has been a part of having other memorials installed, and leads the township’s committee that hosts regular Anzac and Remembrance day services.
“We’re a bit passionate about all that in Devenish,” she said.
On top of all the great things she does in Devenish, June has also spent many years volunteering in a number of places in Australia and abroad.
She has helped out with everything from the Brownies to the local church, Rotary and several volunteer positions in Papua New Guinea.
June said she loved to get involved with the Victorian Seniors Festival and was impressed by the schedule in Benalla Rural City this year.
“We’ve got a silo art bus trip today,” she said.
“And we have tai chi in Devenish this afternoon. The Aviation Museum had a great event.
“There’s so much going on, there is something for everyone.”
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