Top Towns for 2022: The alluring charm of Echuca’s serene spots

Laura Waters Laura Waters
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There’s a relaxed vibe in this Murray River country town that keeps people coming back, says Laura Waters. Find out why Echuca landed at no.10 on your list of Top 50 Aussie towns.

Find the complete list of the Top 50 Aussie Towns here.

There’s a force that lures people to Echuca, and it’s like the pull of the moon. They come as kids, then return with their own families. They come for the sense of calm and connection. That force is the mighty Murray River. At 2508 kilometres, it’s Australia’s longest river and Echuca sits at its closest bend to Melbourne, a 2.5-hour drive south. 

A massive port full of paddlesteamers

In the late 1800s, Echuca was Australia’s largest inland port, full of paddlesteamers pootling back and forth along the river. Today a few paddlesteamers still whistle their way along the Murray, anchoring the town in its history and serving as a reminder that life here revolves around the river. People come for the serenity, for watersports, wine, sunny skies (Echuca claims more sunny days than the Gold Coast) and starry nights. 

Eating in Echuca

Johnny & Lyle is a favourite for breakfast through lunch, dishing up everything from Buddha bowls to haloumi burgers. The American Hotel, built in 1865, also has great options. Enjoy some fab pub food, a drink on the rooftop bar, or mouth-watering smoked barbecue and rotisserie meats at Harry O’s. Go to Junction Moama for sophisticated food, wine and cocktails. 

exterior of the American Hotel in Echuca
Check out the American Hotel.

Wineries to visit in Echuca

This is the Perricoota wine region. Arrive at Morrisons Winery by paddlesteamer for a leisurely lunch, or join an e-bike winery tour to St Anne’s Winery with Green Pedal Cycles. 

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Staying in Echuca

This is houseboat central. Boats range from the simple to luxe with spa baths on deck, accommodating six to 12 people. No special skills are required. Options are many, but try Murray River Houseboats or Magic Murray Houseboats. 

On land, CocknBull Boutique Hotel has characterful luxury apartments in the historic port precinct. Bush camping on shaded riverbanks is a popular option here, or you can go for a fully serviced park like Discovery Parks Echuca. 

Playing in Echuca

You can’t come here without wandering the streets of the old port precinct, including Echuca Wharf. The Port of Echuca Discovery Centre explains the town’s history as a river trade centre that once processed up to 240 paddlesteamers a year.  To ride the river in the way of old, hop aboard with Murray River Paddlestreamers and soak up the serenity, birds and gnarled red gums. 

The Murray is a playground for canoeing, waterskiing, SUP and boating (pontoon boats are ideal for floating barbecues). Rent equipment from Echuca Boat and Canoe Hire. And spend a day driving the Echuca Moama Silo Art Trail. 

Echuca Moama Silo Art Trail
Explore the region via the Echuca Moama Silo Art Trail.
Explore more of Echuca in our travel guide or find out which other towns made it into your Top 50.

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Laura Waters
Laura is a Melbourne-based writer, speaker and author with a passion for adventures in the great outdoors. Her memoir ‘Bewildered’, about hiking the length of New Zealand, won Best Travel Book at the 2021 ASTW Awards and she has also penned the popular Ultimate Walks & Hikes Australia.
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This luxe trawler tour is redefining Victoria’s seafood experience

    Chloe Cann Chloe Cann
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    Victoria’s ‘mussel capital’ is the source of exceptional shellfish used by top chefs far and wide. Step aboard a beautifully refurbished trawler to see how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    A curtain is slowly winched from the placid, teal waters just off Portarlington, like a floating garland beside our boat. The ropes heave with blue mussels, the star attraction of our tour. But as we reach to pluck our own, it’s quickly clear they’re not alone; a mass of weird and wonderful creatures has colonised the ropes, turning them into a living tapestry. ‘Fairy’ oysters, jelly-like sea squirts, and tiny, wriggling skeleton shrimp all inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

    We prize our bivalve bounty from the ropes, and minutes later the mussels arrive split on a platter. The plump orange morsels are served raw, ready to be spritzed with wedges of lemon and a lick of chilli as we gaze out over the bay. They’re briny, tender and faintly sweet. “This wasn’t originally part of the tour,” explains Connie Trathen, who doubles as the boat’s cook, deckhand and guide. “But a chef [who came onboard] wanted to taste the mussels raw first, and it’s now become one of the key features.”

    A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

    inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes
    Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours. While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

    holding Portarlington mussels
    See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

    As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

    The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

    blue mussels off Portarlington
    Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

    Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

    Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli
    Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

    “Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

    a hand holding a Portarlington mussel
    Mussels are a sustainable food.

    Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

    But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

    guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard
    Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.