Echuca is a popular holiday town in Australia to visit. the city is one of Australia’s great heritage icons, capturing the spirit of the country’s 19th-century pioneers like few other places.
The city is a charming Murray River town with a lot of history and attractions that is also a great location to relax and unwind.
Visiting the city as a parent with kids is among the numerous ways to enjoy the city as the town has a lot of fantastic playgrounds for kids to relax and unwind.
Echuca, which is on the state borders of Victoria and New South Wales and the Murray River, has a fascinating history and heritage that will interest everyone.
Echuca served as a crucial crossing point between the two states in the 1800s, which resulted in a great deal of trade, especially during the Gold Rush.
For your better travel convenience, we have compiled the top things to do in Echuca Victoria.
things to do in Echuca
1 Explore Banyule State Forest
One of the “hidden local destinations” is the Banyule State Forest, which has miles of paths for biking and hiking.
Commencing behind the Echuca Visitor Centre, follow the path around to the start of the levee bank where you will head off under the historic Echuca Moama Bridge. A maze of tracks crisscrosses the Banyule Forest Area. Take your pick as you wander among the majestic gums so prominent in this area.
Following the track along the Murray River as you explore the Banyule Forest, making your way to the footbridge over the canal, along Moama Street, and turn back into Packenham Street, which will lead you back into the town center
Enjoy the 360-degree vistas of nature as you retreat inside it! Enjoy the breathtaking views of the Murray River and the Echuca wharf while riding a bike or walking.
2 Explore The Port of Echuca
One of the top things to do in Echuca is to visit the city’s ancient Port. The Port of Echuca Discovery Centre does a fantastic job of reliving Echuca’s former greatness. At one stage in the late 1800s, Echuca was the third-largest port in Australia behind Sydney and Melbourne.
Highlights include the steam display and the operational sawmill. There are lots of historical exhibits for adults as well as interactive displays to keep children busy.
Guided tours are available, including the Port After Dark Tour and the Kids Adventure Tour. Make yourself comfortable as you revolve around one of the city’s historical sites.
As you wander the Echuca Discovery Centre, you’ll get a glimpse of what life was like in the late 1800s. This is one of the activities the city has to offer visitors that is suitable for families is a trip to the Port of Echuca.
3 Visit Billabong Ranch
Billabong Ranch provides supervised horseback rides into the forests and bush, as well as a variety of other related activities. It is surrounded by the beautiful, rich red gum forests of northern Victoria.
The ranch is well-kept and effectively operated, making it suitable for both adults and kids. If you’re traveling with kids, check out some of the ranch’s other offerings, like the animal nursery, pedal boats, and mini golf.
4 Moama Five Mile Mountain Bike Track
The Moama Mountain Bike track is a 7km purpose-built track that is situated off Perricoota Road.
The track is nestled by the Murray River, close to the Rich River Golf Club and Cadell on the Murray.
it is one of the best places for mountain biking in the Riverina region, suitable for mountain bikers of all skill levels, and offers a fun-packed day for the whole family.
The trails provide a unique mix of fast and rolling terrain with features such as wall rides, drops, and flowing bridges. There is also a skills area, a pump track, and a well-stocked inventory of berms, jumps, and rollers.
After an exhilarating ride, enjoy picnicking and relaxing on the banks of the Murray River at the Five Mile picnic area.
5 National Holden Motor Museum
Visit the National Holden Motor Museum: Echuca, which is dedicated to some of the most recognizable Australian automobiles made by the Holden Motor Company.
This private museum is Australia’s largest one-brand auto museum and has the largest collection of well-known Holdens. Explore the site’s roomy exhibit area, which includes more than 40 vehicles, unique prototypes, vintage photos, and historic video footage.
Each new visitor gets a fresh perspective on the history of Australian cars thanks to the frequent changes in temporary exhibits.
Be sure to visit the museum’s sizable gift shop, where you can look through and buy a range of Holden trinkets, books, games, and toys for automobile enthusiasts of all ages.
6 Book a Paddlesteamer cruise
One of the most well-liked attractions in Echuca Moama is a paddle steamer tour on the Murray River. There are other alternatives to consider, including:
- Paddlesteamers from Echuca
Open seven days a week, purchase tickets at the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre’s ticket office or online.
Choose between a voyage on the PS Pevensey or the PS Alexander Arbuthnot.
- Murray River Paddlesteamers
Book a cruise on the PS Canberra, or PS Emmylou and enjoy the captain’s commentary and river views.
The PS Canberra 1-hour day cruise gives passengers a glimpse of the redgums and wildlife. Children are also encouraged to have a go steering the 108-year-old paddle steamer and are awarded a free skippers certificate on completion of the cruise.
The regular cruise schedule is Wednesday to Sunday from 10.15 am, 11.30 am, 1.15 pm, and 2.30 pm local time.
Enjoy a 2 hr lunch cruise on the PS Emmylou, available from the 26 December 2022.
A cruise on one of Echuca’s paddle steamers is a great way to also learn of some of the early histories of Echuca Moama.
7 Echuca Historical Society Museum
Echuca Historical Society Museum is the city research Centre that preserves the historical past of the city.
A priceless collection of the steamboat era and early life in Echuca is housed in a small structure that is shaded by two ancient Moreton Bay Fig Trees and overlooks the River Murray.
The Museum contains a wide variety of papers and artifacts, including river maps, flood records, paddle steamers that traveled up and down the great Murray, as well as comprehensive family histories and tales of the people who made their living in Echuca.
8 The Strawberry Pick
With its distinctive Pick Your Own experience, Australia’s well-known strawberry pick is a favorite among people of all ages. Visit us to enjoy our fresh artisan farm preserves and strawberries at their peak.
The Strawberry Pick is Open between Mid to late October and Mid May. Open on Weekends, Most Public Holidays, and Victorian School Holidays.
located in Echuca’s most idyllic and scenic agricultural zone. The Farm has an on-site food van for serving barista coffee or tea, scones with their own Jam, cream, and Real Strawberry Ice-cream or Sorbet.
They also have a range of Artisan Preserves, including Strawberry Balsamic, Strawberry Desert Sauce, and Strawberry Jam. Strawberry Pick believes in offering the best-tasting varieties of strawberries that will leave you wanting more.
9 Echuca Blacksmith
The Echuca Blacksmith is located close to the Port of Echuca Discovery Center on Murray Esplanade’s riverside.
Being able to observe a blacksmith at work is captivating. Given how old the craft is, watching it being performed in front of you is fascinating.
Additionally, there is a wonderful gift shop with some exquisitely made ironware within. You could even enroll in a blacksmith course if you are really interested.
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10 Echuca Heritage Sweet Company
The Echuca Heritage Sweet Co. is situated around 200 kilometers from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, close to the old Port of Echuca.
The Echuca Heritage Sweet Company offers the finest quality chocolate and confectionery. The selection includes chocolates made using the best ingredients locally and throughout Australia by skilled confectioners.
Additionally, they also offer a sizable assortment of American Candy, Dutch licorice, and sugar-free treats, we also provide a wide variety of English and Scottish confectionery.
The Echuca Heritage Sweet company is an ideal place to visit especially if you travel with your children.
11 Visit Echuca Chocolate Company
Echuca Chocolate Company has long been a favorite destination for locals and visitors to Echuca Moama. located close to the Murray River paddle steamers in the ancient Echuca Port district.
They make handmade chocolates that are delicious, fresh, and beautifully decorated. Each and everyone is made by hand, using artisan, chocolatier traditional techniques.
The company is known for the use best quality natural ingredients and Belgian chocolate and stock a wide range of handmade chocolates, boiled sweets, hampers, and Chocolate Liqueurs.
If you want to experience fine chocolates and liqueurs, there is no other better place than the Echuca Chocolate Company.
12 The Echuca Distillery
Gin lovers will adore the Echuca Distillery, which is close to the harbor and all the other attractions in Echuca.
Visitors to the Echuca Distillery can sample Australian spirits made from grain and grapes.
Additionally, you may discover how spirits like gin, vodka, and liqueurs are made, and of course, you can also sample them.
13 Go Black And White At Sharps Magic Movie House and Penny Arcade
This little attraction is definitely where we had the most fun out of all the things to do and see in Echuca!
In addition to a lolly, ice cream, and fudge shop, at Sharps, you will find old black-and-white movies and a penny arcade! There is an admission charge for the penny arcade and movies and in return, you’ll get a container of pennies.
They have a very cool collection of authentic arcade games from 50-110 years old that operate via pennies. This is one of the top things to do in Echuca especially for families as children wouldn’t want to mix.
14 Southern 80
The Southern 80 is a water ski event that typically accommodates four-person teams (a driver, an observer, and two skiers), and it draws thousands of spectators in addition to hundreds of racers.
The Five Mile Boat Ramp is exactly 20 kilometers by water from the finish line at Victoria Park in Echuca.
Teams from 39 different categories start their journey to Victoria Park on Saturday, and on Sunday, they tackle the entire 80-kilometer track downriver from Torrumbarry Weir to the same finish line.
The elite, Super Class teams are able to reach speeds of 200km/h on the long straights.
But around Echuca, the Murray meanders so much that the race is more about technique than pure speed.
15 Echuca Moama Visitor Information Centre
When you arrive in Echuca, there is a lot to take in, so one way to keep organized and ahead of the crowd is to stop by the visitor center on Murray Esplanade.
In addition to the typical flyers, brochures, and local mementos, there is a touchscreen information station and knowledgeable and courteous employees.
The center gives visitors an insight into where to visit at the right time.
But maybe the biggest advantage is that you can book tickets for tours and paddle steamer cruises without having to queue.
In addition to all of this, the structure itself is a tourist destination on its own.
16 Whistle Stop Studio Gallery
Just in from the wharf is a working studio and gallery in a cute, heritage-listed railway station dating to the 1880s.
This was formerly located in the community of Strathmerton, about 90 kilometers to the east, but was moved to the seafront of Echuca in 2002. The business inside belongs to artist Glenda Cornell, who works in a range of media, and you can pay a visit to see what she’s creating.
Abstract shapes as well as images of wildlife and paddle steamers along the Murray River commonly appear in her artwork.
Every piece on display is for sale, and the gallery also carries local artists’ ceramics and needle felting.
17 The Great Aussie Beer Shed
Just the kind of eccentric attraction you hope to come across in rural towns, the Great Aussie Beer Shed can best be described as a giant shrine to iconic Aussie brands and appliances.
The major draw is a mind-boggling collection of more than 17,000 beer cans gathered across Australia and the world.
These are accompanied by a trove of beer paraphernalia, including vintage signs, barrels, bottles, brewery equipment, handles, and tap tops.
The museum branches out in surprising ways, collecting Coca-Cola memorabilia, old petrol bowsers, kitchen and washing appliances, and tons of other items that will give Australians a warm nostalgic glow.
18 St Anne’s Winery
This winemaker is located next to the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre and has a storefront on the Murray Esplanade.
St Anne’s maintains vineyards in nine different places throughout Victoria, where they produce a herby Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp and toasted Chardonnay, a spice-forward Shiraz, a luscious Muscat, and a variety of Tawny Ports.
St Anne’s maintains vineyards in nine different places throughout Victoria, where they produce a herby Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp and toasted Chardonnay, a spice-forward Shiraz, a luscious Muscat, and a variety of Tawny Ports.
In the summer, the structure is air-conditioned, while in the winter, wine can be enjoyed by the fireplace.
This is absolutely one of the best things to do in Echuca.
Best time to visit Echuca
January, followed by March and July is the busiest month for tourism in Echuca, Victoria, Australia. The ideal time to explore the city and get a feel for its way of life.
