Couples can steal a romantic getaway, solo travellers can embrace the wild, but it’s with families that this riverside region truly thrives.

Disneyland isn’t the only place made for family fun: two little river towns straddling Victoria and New South Wales are doing just as good at providing lifelong memories for the whole gang – and on a fraction of the budget, too. Don’t believe us? Keep reading and let our two-day family itinerary in Echuca Moama show off the smorgasbord of activities on offer. We bet you’ll end up having just as much fun as the kids.

In short

Echuca Moama is jam-packed with family activities, but in a world of ever-shortening attention spans, we have to commend TwistED Science for keeping even the fidgetiest kids entertained and curious for hours on end.

Day one

Morning

Echuca Moama’s many holiday parks – a play-filled world unto themselves – are perfect for giving little ones the chance to make friends (while giving parents a chance to catch their breath). Wake up in a riverside cabin and head to Johnny and Lyle’s for a breakfast of champions; they even have outdoor sand pits, in case they get bored of their pancakes. Then it’s off to Billabong Ranch, which we might argue has too much to do. Strap in for a gentle pony ride, race around the islands of its pedal boat dam in your own little vessel, scale the 30-metre-long climbing wall or pop balloons at the indoor archery range.

Midday

For most kids, you can’t get a dreamier afternoon than a trip to McDonald’s and the local lolly shop – luckily, Echuca’s high street has both, with a particularly fine example of the latter: Echuca Heritage Sweet Co. is nothing short of a town legend. After everyone’s fed and watered, it’s off for a hike through the towering gum trees starting at the Kerrabee Sound Shell and ending in a splash around at Moama Beach, a sandy bank that passes under the mighty bridge linking Victoria and New South Wales. Locals will tell you that the water, while famously brown-ish, is crystal clear and swimmable, with the colouration derived from the river bank, not the water quality. You’ll also spot a BBQ area, in case a riverside picnic is calling. Nearby, the Moama Adventure Play Park is a mini-kingdom of equipment, which makes for a neat 30 minutes of play before dinner.

Evening

The new Wildergreen precinct, hiding in plain sight within Moama’s Bowling Club, has pulled off the impossible: an upscale dining destination that’s also tailored to families. Its flagship Italian restaurant, Embr, has the most moreish pizzas and slurpable pastas, with a side serving of Enzo the cartoon fox. Better yet, a sprawling playground full of slides and trampolines sits right outside, as does Wildergreen’s top-tier kids’ club, Treehouse, with the towering sculptural tree at its heart. After dark, join a spooky, lantern-lit tour of the Old Port of Echuca, where theatrical ghost stories and fascinating town history come to life on Wednesday and Saturday nights.

Day two

Morning

This time, we’ll have breakfast over in Moama – 3 Black Sheep lays on cracking dishes, great coffee and long tables for big groups. Plus, it has a sprawling lawn so the young ones can burn off some steam. A 30-minute bus ride or 10-minute car journey away is TwistED Science, where you should be prepared to lose hours on its legion of interactive exhibits – from paper-plane catapults to Lego walls, reptile petting sessions, climbing walls and more engrossingly bonkers bits and pieces than we can name. If you’re here on a Saturday, do your best to make time for a trip to the nearby Echuca Farmers Market, purveyors of local treats.

Midday

Once you’ve had lunch at whichever local eatery has best caught your eye – Hammond Bakery whips up some cracking takeaway options – there’s only one thing to do with a sprawling, sunny afternoon – and that’s get on the river. But this time, we’re leaving the paddle steamers to the history enthusiasts and jumping over to Jess and the team at Echuca Moama Stand Up Paddle SUP for some splashy fun. Most tours take you down about 4–4.5 kilometres of river, where you’ll paddle downstream and attempt to stay upright, lest you join the fishes in the river. If kayaks and canoes are more your thing, head to Echuca Boat & Canoe Hire, which happily supplies both.

Evening

If you’ve got adventurous palettes on your hands, Monkee and Co serves up the town’s finest Asian hawker-style fare – everything from pork soup dumplings to pork bánh mì sandwiches, beef short rib curries to popcorn chicken with chilli salt. And while you’ll notice they have a delectable dessert menu, this isn’t the place for dessert. No, save your sugar fix for the town’s famous gelateria, The Port Ice Creamery, which serves colourful scoops and shakes until 10pm. Should you still have juice in the tank, there are plenty of places to keep the fun going. Our favourite? The Rich River Golf Club which, also open until 10pm, has an 18-hole mini golf course that’ll see a healthy dose of family rivalry wrap up the trip.

Discover the best restaurants in Echuca Moama