Armed with a passion for photography and a love of the region, Mrs O'Connell has been highlighting the sights and sounds of the Wimmera through her viewfinder.

However, photography was never something she thought she'd get into.

Mrs O'Connell first picked up a camera in 2012 and began her page in 2015, after her daughter introduced her to Instagram.

In 2015, she began her Facebook page and would sell some of her photos commercially.

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In February 2019, Mrs O'Connell retired intending to dedicate more time to her photography, but then Coronavirus struck.

"No one's buying anything. I used to sell to a lot of motels, businesses and councils, but that's not happening anymore."

However, with her Landscapes of the Wimmera series, Mrs O'Connell feels like she's found a calling.

"Someone commented that in the future these photos will really mean something because half the things won't be there anymore. So it's a little history lesson in a way."

"May was when I started to particularly zero in on towns... I only started it because of COVID-19.

"I thought people can't visit each other and people interstate, they can't visit their parents.

"So I put a picture up of Beulah and people commented and said 'which town are you doing next?' and that's how it started."

Mrs O'Connell said she enjoys shining a light on things that pass most people by.

"I'm a city person, I was born and raised in the heart of Melbourne, but I just love where we live," she said.

"I love everything around; I love the Grampians and the people you meet when you're taking photos.

"When you drive through, you don't even stop. That's why I like to ask people, is there a little spot that I could get good photos that we wouldn't even know about?

"Even in Murtoa, I didn't know about the old railway station. It's little things like that, hidden gems. I usually stop and buy a drink or a cake, and ask people if there's any good spots."

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The response has been "really lovely" so far, Mrs O'Connell said, with people reaching out to her from across the region.

"People are privately inboxing me, thanking me so much for what I'm doing, saying they've reconnected with friends."

Mrs O'Connell's photographic journey has been one of self-discovery; she's learnt she can do some crazy things.

"I've retired from work and even though I've got a bung knee, the first thing I did was climb the Pinnacle to get pictures," she said.

Mrs O'Connell plans to continue her travels and has set her sights on

"Next I'll be in Natimuk, Arapiles, Grass Flats, Boroke, Kaniva, Apsley, Edenhope and back home," she said.

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