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Elegant Echuca
 The Victorian city of Echuca and its twin town of Moama across the river in New South Wales sit proudly at the junction of the Mighty Murray. It is this waterway which defines them and which draws visitors by the thousand to their door.
Back in the mid-19th century paddle steamers ferrying supplies through to Australia’s interior made Echuca Australia’s busiest inland port. Today, the steamers still pass by, but it is for the tourists’ benefit that they do so. Happily, a section of the wharf has been preserved and the surrounding area, under the supervision of the ‘Port of Echuca’, enables visitors to view paddlesteamers, barges, historic buildings, and learn of the town’s fascinating past.
Echuca is located a couple of hundred kilometres north of Melbourne in an attractive pastoral and agricultural district. Not surprisingly, given the importance of tourism to the local economy, there are some good museums, good shops, good restaurants and, just out of town, some excellent little wineries. And, if you haven’t got the energy to venture even that far for a little tipple, the Echuca-Moama Wine Centre in town is open most days for wine tasting and sales.
But it’s the Murray itself which dominates life here. If you’ve brought your bikes along, it’s time to finally get them off the racks, and explore the excellent cycling tracks along the river banks. Or, just put on some comfortable shoes or boots and take a stroll through the parks and native forests along the river. It’s lovely.
Of course, if you’ve brought a tinnie along or even a fishing rod, some extremely pleasant hours either on, or by, the water await.
In a town packed with tourist attractions, there are a couple of others that are worth pointing out, for their sheer uniqueness, if nothing else.
As it proudly says in its marketing material, i f you are a true Blue Aussie visiting Echuca you shouldn’t go past visiting the National Holden Motor Museum. Maybe not … and with more than 40 vehicles on display here, including rare prototypes, this is your chance to pay tribute to an Aussie icon.
Another Aussie icon, the beer can, is celebrated at the Great Aussie Beer Shed where more than 16,000 beer cans from around the world are featured, along with other brewery related items including beer tap tops and tap handles, trays, old wooden beer barrels, bottles and signs. The management reckons this is the only museum of its kind in Australia – and I reckon they’re probably right!
Of course, with all these beer can enthusiasts flooding into town, there are some great caravan parks in the Echuca region to cater for their accommodation needs. Many of the parks boast river frontage and are also very convenient to all the town’s attractions.
However, if you’re looking for a more serene – and less costly – environment, then there are some top spots to pull up just out of town. Christies Beach camping area is situated on the banks of the Murray River very close to Echuca. It has toilets, picnic tables and fireplaces. Nearby Betts Beach camping area has no facilities … just bush and sandy beaches. Access to both is via Simmie Road.
A little further afield, to Echuca’s north-east is the Barmah State Park and Barmah State Forest. Camping is popular along much of the 112-kilometre frontage to the Murray River. The Narmah Lakes area has toilets, fireplaces and tables. Dispersed camping is permitted elsewhere along the river, with basic facilities at Ulupna Island.
Just remember to scope out all of these spots first to check they can accommodate whatever rig you are travelling in.
Echuca then is a fantastic place to get a feel for what life must have been like in the heyday of the paddlesteamer, before the arrival of the railway robbed it of its raison d’etre. But, happily, Echuca has adapted, survived and, indeed, thrived in this ever-changing world. And how!
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