Flash back 12 months and Lake Wendouree in Ballarat was a shadow of what it is today. The river banks were so dry and the water level was barely visible, if not non-existent. The middle of the lake was so dry, you could mow it.

Now, it’s a much different story and the lake is close to overflowing.

Just hours before kicking off its first intra-club match, North Melbourne mingled with supporters and children from local schools during a leisurely stroll around the lake.

Orhan and Susan Sahin were there, donning royal blue and white and experienced the opportunity of a lifetime...meeting their hero Brent Harvey.

"He's just so friendly. It's fantastic that he's so easy to talk to, very accessible and we just love him and love seeing him play," Susan told kangaroos.com.au.

Seeing the North Melbourne players wasn't the only reason to smile though.

"We are actually from Geelong but are up here to celebrate our anniversary. It's wonderful, we couldn't believe our luck when we found out the Roos were up here.

"We are just rapt to see the team and we are really looking forward to this year."

After a relaxing start to the morning, all focus is on match-day preparation.

kangaroos.com.au will be following the action via CoveritLive, Facebook and Twitter from around 6pm.