Our Story
Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing Centre began in 1994 with a small shop in Thornton, two friends and a belief that there was a place for a business built around teaching people to fly fish.
Since then, we’ve worked from four different premises, built a fishing lodge, introduced generations of anglers to the Goulburn and taken others much further afield. The shops gave people somewhere to find us. The days spent fishing together gave them a reason to return.
David and Geoff
David Pickering and Geoff Hall founded GVFFC after meeting through their sons’ friendship at school.
Geoff brought the experience of a long teaching career. David was a local business owner. Both were committed fly fishers, and together they began building an operation that combined a fly shop, instruction and guided fishing on the Goulburn and Rubicon rivers.
They also recognised the possibilities of fishing the Goulburn from drift boats. Their early work helped establish an approach that would become central to GVFFC: using a boat to explore the river, reach water difficult to access on foot and spend a full day moving through it with clients.
Photograph: David (casting) and Geoff (rowing) in one of the original rafts back in the 1990’s
Four Shops. One River.
1994–1997 — Four Ways, Thornton
The first shop occupied a side room at the Four Ways Café and Diner in Thornton.
It was a modest beginning: local fly patterns, fishing equipment and a place to organise a lesson or guided day. Much of the work involved introducing people to the surrounding rivers and helping them develop the confidence to fish independently.
Anthony Boliancu joined in 1996. Alongside guiding and teaching, he began developing the GVFFC website, which grew into a source of river reports and fishing information for anglers planning the drive from Melbourne.
Photograph: the original Four Ways premises.
Photograph: David Pickering tying flies in the first shop
1997–2002 — The Tin Shed, Thornton
In 1997, the business moved to a 16-acre property on the outskirts of Thornton, initially operating from a large tin shed.
The surroundings were simple, but the ambitions were growing. The shop was somewhere to meet before fishing, organise equipment, tie flies and talk through the day afterwards.
During these years, the idea of bringing a fly shop, accommodation, guiding and teaching together in one place began to take shape. American guide and outfitter operations offered a model, adapted to the Goulburn and the people who fished it.
Photographs: Geoff marking access points for a visiting fly fisher
2002–2018 — The Lodge, Thornton
The mud brick lodge opened in 2002, becoming home to GVFFC for the next sixteen years.
With the Goulburn nearby, stocked lakes and cottage accommodation, it brought the different parts of the business together. People could stay, learn, organise their fishing and spend time with others who shared the same interest.
For some, it was the setting for their first casting lesson. For others, it became a familiar base for regular fishing trips. The shop and its gathering spaces were as much a part of that experience as the days on the river.
Our guiding team grew, drift boat fishing became an increasingly important part of the operation, and many of the client relationships that continue today began during those years.
Photographs: the lodge exterior, shop interior, teaching days and David/Geoff/Anthony, circa 2005.
2018–2025 — Alexandra
Following the sale of the Thornton property, the retail business moved to Alexandra in 2018.
The premises were different, but guiding and teaching continued. The shop remained a place to organise equipment, talk fishing and prepare for days on the water, while our hosted overseas programs became a larger part of the business.
This period also marked a change in the original team. Geoff had stepped away from the business in 2016, and David stepped back in 2018. Anthony continued the operation, carrying forward the approach to guiding and teaching they had developed together.
In November 2025, after more than three decades of operating a physical fly shop, we closed the Alexandra retail premises.
Photographs: the Alexandra shop.
Further Afield
As the business grew, so did the distances we travelled with clients.
Our New Zealand guiding operation developed into a regular summer program based in Southland. Montana became another longstanding destination, giving Australian anglers the opportunity to experience the rivers of the American West. Other trips have taken us to British Columbia and Patagonia.
These programs grew out of relationships formed at home. Some of the people travelling overseas with us first came to GVFFC for a beginner’s lesson. Others joined through friends and became regular travelling companions.
Teaching someone their first cast and, years later, sharing a river with them on the other side of the world has been one of the lasting pleasures of this business.
Photograph: loading the boats on the Missouri River in Montana
The People Who Kept It Going
GVFFC’s history also belongs to the guides who have worked here and the anglers who have kept coming back.
Over the years, the business has weathered drought, bushfires, floods and the disruption of the pandemic. Each affected the rivers, the work and the people whose livelihoods depended on them.
Through those periods, returning clients and a committed guiding team helped keep the business going. Their contribution is part of the story behind every premises pictured on this page.
The Next Chapter
Today, GVFFC continues as a guiding and teaching business, offering drift boat fishing, guided days, lessons, workshops and hosted overseas trips.
The shops were an important part of our history. They gave people a place to gather, ask questions and begin friendships that often lasted for decades.
Our work now carries on through the days we spend with people on the water: helping a beginner find their cast, exploring a familiar stretch of river with a returning client, or travelling together to somewhere new.
We’d love you to be part of what comes next.