Explore Echuca

Echuca ~ Victoria

Echuca is a lovely historic town on the banks of the Murray River, in Victoria. It is located 216 kilometres from Melbourne and has heritage paddlesteamer cruises, fascinating history, and a lovely, relaxed atmosphere.

Echuca was originally developed as a river port as it was the closest place on the Murray River to cross over into New South Wales from Melbourne.

The construction of the Echuca Wharf in the 1860s transformed the town into a major river port, and at its peak, Echuca was Australia's largest inland port. 

When we stayed in Echuca, we explored the Port of Echuca and went on a paddlesteamer cruise. We wandered around the town centre, visited the Great Aussie Beer Shed and saw some interesting heritage buildings.

Port of Echuca Discovery Centre

The Port of Echuca Discovery Centre is open every day from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and entry is free.

Inside, you will find interactive and informative displays about Australia’s inland river system and learn about the history of the Paddlesteamers. You can also book your paddlesteamer cruise, historic walking tour or get some lovely souvenirs here.

Outside on the wharf is the Kevin Hutchinson Steam Shed, where you can see original working steam engines and pumps. This fascinating Steam Display allows visitors to learn about the important role steam played in the development of the Port of Echuca.

Paddlesteamer Cruises

No trip to Echuca is complete without a cruise on an iconic paddlesteamers.  Two companies offer 1-hour paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River, several times a day. We booked in for an 11.30 cruise on the Pevensey Paddlesteamer, which departs from the Port of Echuca.

We wandered down the heritage-listed Echuca Wharf, ready for boarding. The Echuca wharf played a vital role in the Murray River trade, with up to 240 paddlesteamers a year using the wharf in the 1870s to 1880s.  The wharf was extended several times, and at its peak, it was over 332 metres long; today, after extensive restoration, it is about 75 metres long.

The Pevensey is an authentic paddlesteamer with its original steam engine and can carry 100 passengers. It was originally used as a cargo boat. It collected bales of wool from stations and transported them to the Echuca Wharf, where they when then loaded onto trains and taken to Melbourne, to be shipped overseas.

We sat back and relaxed whilst cruising down the river and listened to the interesting commentary about the paddlesteamer and the area’s history.

We then wandered around and saw the steam engine and watched the paddle wheels go round. There is a cafe at the back of the paddlesteamer that serves coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer and assorted snacks. There are toilets on board, and it is dog-friendly.

The Pevensey was in the Australian TV series ‘All the Rivers Run’, where it was known as the ‘Philadelphia’. And upstairs, you can see the cabins, which have memorabilia and information about their role in ‘All the Rivers Run’.

Echuca Wharf and Murray Esplanade

After the cruise, we continued exploring the wharf area, which is a great spot to watch the paddle steamers on the river.

The PS Adelaide is a lovely paddlesteamer that is the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer still operating on any river in the world. 1-hour cruises are also available on the PS Canberra, a 110-year-old paddlesteamer that is powered by a 1923 wood-fired steam engine.

The Port of Echuca was also featured in the TV series “All the Rivers Run”, and provides a glimpse of what life was really like in the late 1800s.  Inside the Cargo Shed was a fun and educational area for kids of all ages to learn about the history of Echuca.

The Murray Esplanade is a great historical area with heritage buildings, the visitor centre and several specialty shops. 

You can even take a relaxing ride along the streets of Echuca in a horse-drawn carriage. Billabong Carriages operate on weekends, and school and public holidays at the Port of Echuca. You will find them at the hitching post along the Murray Esplanade.

Then we popped into St Anne’s Winery for a free wine tasting. St Anne’s Winery Cellar Door is open every day and has a huge selection of wines to try. The Cellar Door was originally a carriage builder's workshop, and the walls are lined with heritage barrels that hold more than 3000 litres of fortified wines.

Also in this area is the Bridge Hotel, the Whistle Stop Gallery, a fascinating old log buggy and the Visitor Centre.

High Street Specialty Shops

High Street in the Echuca Town Centre has a great selection of cafes, bakeries, hotels, a distillery and specialty shops to browse in.

We enjoyed wandering along High Street and popped into a few shops to stock up on some lovely products.

The Echuca Chocolate Company is open every day and has an amazing range of chocolates, liquers and gifts. Their unique and delicious chocolates and truffles are hand-made on-site by their highly trained team.

The Echuca Heritage Sweet Company is open every day and has a huge range of sweets, gifts and novelty products. When you step inside the Echuca Heritage Sweet Company, you instantly feel like a kid again. The walls are lined with jars and packets of colourful lollies, chocolates, licorice, and candies from around Australia.

The Great Aussie Beer Shed

The Great Aussie Beer Shed is located approximately 3 kilometres from Echuca and is open Saturday and Sunday, Public and School Holidays from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm.

This fascinating, jam-packed museum opened in 2003 and has an impressive collection of more than 20,000 beer cans from around the world.

It also features a huge selection of beer-related memorabilia and historic Australiana memorabilia. We wandered around the huge shed, reminiscing about things we remembered from the past.

There is also a Heritage Farm Museum with an extensive display of old farming equipment from the late 1800s. In Jack's Shed, there is a small car museum and more interesting memorabilia.

There are also several more exhibits in the carpark area, including a Beer Stein and Horse Drawn Carriage exhibit.

Heritage Buildings

As we wandered around Echuca, we saw many lovely heritage buildings, with information plaques about their origins.

• The Bank of New South Wales built this wonderful Italianate-style building in 1877.

  
  

• The former Echuca Town Hall was built in 1868 as a combined Council Chambers and Court House.

  
  

• Customs House was built in 1884 and is now a lovely Art Gallery.

  
  

• St Mary's Catholic Church was built in several stages and was officially opened in 1890.

  
  

• The Old Echuca Post Office opened in February 1879.

  
  

• The Palace Hotel, located at the corner of Dickson and Connelly Streets, was built in 1876.