Country host, landcare lover and local guide — meet our mate Gaby Hogg from Lake Charm

Country host, landcare lover and local guide — meet our mate Gaby Hogg from Lake Charm

Tucked between Swan Hill and Echuca, just off the Murray Valley Highway and surrounded by big skies and bird calls, you’ll find a peaceful patch of northern Victoria that’s easy to miss, unless you know where to look...

Here on 150 acres beside Lake Charm, Gaby Hogg, and husband Lindsay, have created a warm and welcoming escape. It was originally part of a 2,000-acre sheep and lucerne farm that had been in Lindsay’s family for decades, but after returning from a few years living in China, they decided to bring guests from overseas to them instead.

Starting with a few downstairs bedrooms on Airbnb and slowly growing into something more, Charm Lodge is a place where visitors come to slow down, reconnect with nature and leave feeling a little more grounded than when they arrived.

But hosting is just one part of what they do. Their real impact shows in the way they care for the community, the land and the place they call home.

A creative twist on country stays

From dome tents and a tiny house to Flo — a vintage caravan tucked away in an olive grove — each stay at Charm Lodge has its own character. There’s even a freestanding outdoor bath under the stars, a favourite for romantic getaways and surprise proposals.

Some additions came from personal experience, like their daughter’s wedding on the property, which opened the door to hosting more events. Others, like Flo, were born out of lockdown creativity.

Reflecting on the vintage caravan’s transformation, Gaby laughs: “It was a Covid project. And we said right, we'll just gut it and clean it up. It became a bigger project than we thought.”

Today, they welcome guests from across Australia and beyond. Some are road-tripping through Swan Hill or Echuca Moama and find themselves booking a few extra nights by the lake. Others arrive specifically for a quieter kind of getaway, drawn to the rural setting, slow pace and warm hospitality.

“People say they’ve driven past on the highway and didn’t realise this place was here.”

Lake Charm’s small size and turnoff location mean it’s easy to miss unless you know what to look for, but that’s also the appeal. In fact, it’s part of the Kerang Lakes, recognised as internationally important wetlands under the Ramsar Convention.

A place for people to breathe

One of Gaby’s favourite things is watching city visitors arrive, unsure of where they’ve landed, and gradually relax into the space.

“We show them around, and then you can see them in the next hour, walk around and just calm down. They walk across to the lake…they touch the earth. They plan for their bath. And they go and say hello to the animals. They love all that.”

It might be a short stay or a full weekend with family and friends, but the goal is always the same, to offer people a chance to recharge.

A driving force for community

Charm Lodge may be the visible part of their work, but it’s far from the whole picture.

Gaby and Lindsay have long been involved in projects that support the local area. They were founding members of their local Landcare group in the early 2000s, helping to plant tens of thousands of native trees both on their property and throughout the district.

“We created these corridors of trees because the corridors of trees link the farms, they give wildlife a road — a tree road — for them to follow towards the lakes and that was really important. It was a blank canvas when we came here and we just love the birdlife that it attracts.”

Local pride runs deep

Ask Gaby for recommendations and she won’t stop at just one. There’s the nearby Mystic Park Hotel, full of local stories and country charm, plus Lake Boga’s Flying Boat Museum, the silo art trail and kayaking in Gunbower Forest.

As a pet-friendly stay, Charm Lodge is a hit with animal lovers and Gaby’s always ready with recommendations for other dog-friendly adventures nearby, from local cafés to forest trails along the Murray River. She also suggests heading to Andrew Peace Wines, which welcomes dogs in their outdoor areas, or taking a drive to one of the area's many lakes with next-level sunset views and plenty of tracks and trails to explore.

For history lovers, there are plenty of stories to go around, from Gaby’s own school project on Sir John Gorton, whose family farmed nearby, to local efforts to protect the region’s lakes from salinity and preserve water quality.

And while they might be a little off the beaten track, it’s exactly what makes this part of The Murray so memorable.

As Gaby’s husband Lindsay puts it:

“Every year we’d head down to the Murray with the cricket club for a weekend. Someone gets up first, puts a log on the campfire, and the mist is just coming off the river. That feeling, the peace, the stillness, you can’t beat it.”

Explore more of Lake Charm, Swan Hill and surrounds

This blog is part of the latest season in our Mates of The Murray series — a celebration of the people at the heart of our region. We’re spotlighting local operators whose passion, creativity and everyday efforts help shape The Murray, not just as a place to visit, but as a place to belong. It’s not about events or must-see spots. It’s about people, stories and the connections that tie our region together.

Follow along on Facebook and Instagram to meet more of our mates or subscribe to our emails for more stories from across The Murray.