When I moved back to Victoria after more than twenty years away, I knew I wanted to see it with new eyes. There’s something about returning to a place that feels like home. It sharpens your sense of place ~ familiar roads feel fresh again and you start noticing the quiet beauty you once overlooked.
That was the starting point for the Overproof Press 2026 'Victorian Vistas' Calendar and 'Explore Victoria' Zine ~ a year-long invitation to rediscover every corner of the state. I didn’t want to focus on just the well-known spots; I wanted variety ~ coastlines, goldfields, plains, forests ~ all the in-between places that make Victoria whole.
Each illustration was shaped by both memory and research: revisiting the places I’d known, then diving into what defines them now. I spent hours exploring local colour palettes ~ the Gippsland green after rain, the ochre of the Grampians at dusk, the silver light that clings to the Mornington Peninsula coast.
Those tones became the emotional palette for the year ahead. Each page aims to capture the essence of that region ~ not just how it looks, but how it feels.
A Calendar That Travels With You
My creative intention for the 2026 Victorian Vistas Calendar was to make something that was visually beautiful yet calming ~ a piece of art that could quietly nudge you to explore that region during its featured month. Think of it as a gentle reminder to plan a weekend adventure, or to simply step outside and notice what’s near you.
The calendar is printed on art-grade paper, not just standard magazine stock, so each illustration can be removed and framed at the end of the year. It’s both functional and collectible ~ designed to live beyond 2026.
The Zine: A Companion for the Curious
The Explore Victoria Zine is the calendar’s natural companion — part practical travel guide, part creative field journal. Each issue includes:
- A local festival or event (often the small, community-run ones you might not find in a big brochure)
- Regional produce to look out for — maybe in a roadside honesty box or market stall
- A snippet of First Nations knowledge or folklore
- Creative prompts to help travellers engage more deeply with a place
- Weekend ideas, weather notes and practical travel tips for easy trip planning
It’s designed for those who want to feel connected to where they travel, not just pass through.
Digital Tools, Traditional Roots
Because I travel full-time as a house, pet, and farm sitter, I’ve had to adapt how I work. Carrying a full printmaking setup everywhere isn’t possible, so digital drawing has become an essential tool ~ one I use with the eye of a traditional printmaker.
The illustrations for the 2026 Calendar were created digitally, but they’re built using techniques that reflect multiblock and reductive linocut styles. Alongside that, I keep a hand-drawn sketchbook and a small plein air painting kit in my car ~ a portable studio to capture local colour and light on the go.
A Year of Adventures
Together, the calendar and zine form a visual and narrative map of Victoria ~ an invitation to explore, create and connect with the stories of each region.
Whether you hang it in your home or give it as a gift, I hope the 2026 Victorian Vistas Calendar reminds you that every month holds a new corner of Victoria waiting to be rediscovered.
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For more creative travel, folklore and slow adventures through Victoria and beyond.
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