Southwest Victorian farm worker Renee Mugavin wins dairy trip to the Netherlands

Renee Mugavin has her passport at the ready after winning the dairy trip of a lifetime to the Netherlands.

From Friesian livestock and the farm dam to Frisia canal locks and Amsterdam – Renee Mugavin’s first trip abroad is both foreign and familiar.

The southwest Victorian farm worker was the winner of the Lely grand raffle prize at the recent Dairy Farmers’ Ball in Warrnambool, scoring a 2025 dairy-inspired holiday to the Netherlands.

“I did not think I would win at all. It was such an awesome surprise when they called my name from the raffle,” Renee said.

Renee will fly to Amsterdam in the European summer next year to spend a week in the Netherlands with an dairy-themed itinerary that includes farm visits and a behind-the-scenes tour of Lely farm machinery headquarters near Rotterdam.

“It’s my first time overseas. I’ve now got my passport good to go,” the 21-year-old says.

“There’s a few dairy farms on the agenda, the Lely headquarters will be interesting.

“I know Dutch farms operate on a smaller scale, they’re more focused on barns and have quite a different climate to Australia, so it’ll be interesting to see how it all operates.”

Southwest Victoria dairy worker Renee Mugavin won a grand prize of a trip to the Netherlands at the Young Farmers Ball. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Renee works on a dairy farm in Purnim, northeast of Warrnambool, and has been there for nearly six years.

“I’ve always had an interest in animals and farming. I started off when I was in high school doping some work here and there and became interested in farming as a career,” she said.

“No two days are the same. You really get to see calves at the very start of life, they grow and develop. It’s not like any other job out there.”