Excellent Things To Do In Echuca Moama

Echuca Moama won’t overwhelm you with a long list of ‘must-dos’ – in fact, these twin river towns won’t much mind if you do nothing at all.

The light is different in Echuca Moama. Not long after leaving Melbourne’s icy-blues and graffiti-covered concrete behind, your car windows fill with honey hues and sun-gobbling grape vines; wide, rolling fields that feel like the road trip equivalent of taking off tight trousers. Some three scenic hours later, and you roll into Echuca Moama, where that soft sun pours through red gum tree leaves and ripples off the river, segueing into fairy-lit evenings just as soon as it’s set.

Everyone looks good in regional Victoria and New South Wales’ golden hour – but that’s not the only reason so many people seem to return. Make your way through this list of top things to do in Echuca Moama and chances are, you’ll be back soon enough, too.

In short

If we’re giving out medals, we’ll give gold to the paddle steamers (iconic for good reason), silver to Echuca’s darling little high street, and bronze to the brilliantly bonkers beer museum – if not just for the alliteration.

All aboard the Murray

paddle steamers on the Murray River — Step back in time aboard the famous Murray River paddle steamers. (Image: Visit Victoria)

If you know anything about Echuca Moama already, then you won’t be surprised by this one; indeed, all Echuca Moama’s locals will recommend you have a go aboard the town’s famous Murray River paddle steamers – be it for a fun afternoon, a multi-day sojourn or a glistening, sunset cruise. It’s not only the most iconic experience you can have in Echuca Moama, but it looms equally large on the list of Australia’s quintessential experiences, given the paddle steamers’ importance to the nation’s river trade history.

There are two major paddle steamer players in Echuca Moama: Murray River Paddlesteamers and Echuca Paddlesteamers . You can buy tickets online for both, or scout them out on the Murray Esplanade in Echuca – an old-timey strip where much of the twin-towns’ tourist action takes place. Each company has a fleet of historic, wood-fired steamers which operate different itineraries and packages: some include lunch, dinner and wine, others are just a plain old ride through iconic waters. What they all have in common is a front-row seat to the river, with nostalgia and comfort built in.

Most recently, talk of the town has been the advent of a new paddlesteamer: the PS Australian Star , which will be making its Port of Echuca debut circa early 2026. Built in Mildura, this record-breakingly large steamer been slowly making its way 800 kilometres upstream to Echuca, ready for glamorous multi-day trips featuring air-conditioned state rooms, uniquely Australian experiences, riverside BBQs and more.

Hop on an electric bike tour

bikers along the river in Echuca Moama — Tackle the riverbank trail on an e-bike. (Image: Green Pedal)

Wherever there’s a long, lazy river, you’ll often find a network of delightful riverbank trails usually follows – and that’s certainly the case for Echuca Moama. Explore on two feet (the boardwalks around Moama’s Horseshoe Lagoon make for a pleasant, short stroll), or, even better, sign up for a e-bike ride with the team at Green Pedal . There’s the popular 90-minute guided tour, where – for fans of being in two places at once – you can put one wheel in Victoria and the other in New South Wales, as well as full-day rentals to do as you please. Either way, rides depart from the Port of Echuca, with owner and local legend, David, on hand to teach you the easy, breezy ways of the electric bike.

Visit a one-of-a-kind museum

See a massive collection of brewery paraphernalia inside the Great Aussie Beer Shed.

Chances are you’ve seen plenty of museums – but we’d bet none quite like this. Just a few minutes’ drive from Echuca’s high street, the Great Aussie Beer Shed has all the kitschy gravitas of a trip down Route 66: you can certainly expect the same brand of nostalgia, oversized excess and unpretentious fun from both. Housed in a shed that could comfortably house a paddle steamer or two, ownercollector Neil has amassed more than 17,000 beer cans from Australia and the world over, alongside a heavyweight collection of brewery paraphernalia and all manner of old-timey curiosities, everything from classic cars to World War II cannons. He’ll talk you through them, too. Just make sure to snap a shot of the giant pint of beer out front before you go.

Address: 377 Mary Ann Road, Echuca, Victoria 3564

Raise a glass at two exceptional cellar doors

wine tasting at St Anne’s Winery — Enjoy a tasting at St Anne’s Winery.

Family-owned and run, all five of St Anne’s Winery cellar door locations (including the OG vineyard at Myrniong, two hours south of here) are known for their beautiful surroundings, free tastings, and generous, knowledgeable staff. The outposts in Echuca and Moama are no exception. The former has found a home in a delightful old carriage house slap bang in the old port, making it a joyfully atmospheric place to try the contents of those giant (3,0000 litres, no less) barrels of port. Meanwhile, the more remote Moama location has its own temptations: the same big crisp whites, sparkly bruts and delicious sweet wines, plus hefty Ploughman platters that you can eat out on the porch.

Discover Echuca’s high-street treasures

a look inside the Echuca Heritage Sweet Company — Sample sugary goods from the Echuca Heritage Sweet Company.

There’s something about a small town lolly shop, isn’t there? For a certain generation of school trip attendee and sweet-toothed road tripper, the Echuca Heritage Sweet Company sparks quite the journey down memory lane, with its retro goodies and giant giraffe (IYKYK). And this is just one of many stalwarts boasting an address on Echuca’s main thoroughfare. Here, independent shops generally triumph over the big brands, from the British expat (and Echuca resident of 14 years) selling old school vinyls from his indie record store, to David Engstrom’s ramshackle second-hand book emporium, in operation since 1998. Then we have the shops dedicated to chocolate, fishing tackle, camping gear, home accessories and womenswear. Our favourite? Rich Glen Provedore : olive oil farmers turned skin and beauty gurus.

Address:  606 High St, Echuca VIC 3564

Bowls, bites and bevs – all under one roof

a server at Embr holding a plate of pasta — Dine on satisfyingly good food at Embr. (Image: Cindy Power)

The Moama Bowling Club – and its various venues therein – have long been an epicentre of entertainment and community in this little town. Not only is it the home of everything from sports bars to ice cream parlours, bistros to legendary bowling lawns, but it’s also a force for good, with a long history of sponsoring sport clubs and funding community groups around regional Australia.

The club’s latest arrival, though, is its most exciting yet.

Describing itself as a ‘multi-season sanctuary’, Wildergreen has catapulted the Moama Bowling Club into the 21st century, courtesy of one very Instagrammable restaurant, Embr , and the best looking kids’ club you’ve ever seen, Treehouse . The former is whipping up some spectacular Italian cuisine, courtesy of Sardinian chef and good-guy wunderkind, Daniel Girau. The wood-fired pizzas are a total hit, as is that tiramisu. Treehouse, meanwhile, includes a playroom full of craft stations, game consoles and cushy beanbags, plus an outdoor playground so whimsical, it has the adults wanting a go, too.

Wander the heritage quarter

the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre — The Port of Echuca Discovery Centre pays homage to the town’s rich history. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Accompanied by a soundtrack of creaking timber and chugging engines, Port Echuca is thick with history – and its architectural micro-museum, the Discovery Centre , tells the story brilliantly. As does the spooky ‘after-dark’ tour , with added theatrics. During the day, the old port precinct is full of shops offering small batch goods and warm welcomes: from My Dad’s Honey , owned by a local beekeeping family with organic hives, to Port Creamery , with its quirky flavours and loaded milkshakes. It’s also rather artistic, with a smattering of galleries including the newly opened Aboriginal-owned MarraMarra gallery and the Foundry Arts Space , which, home to the Echuca Moama Photography Club, has regularly revolving exhibits. You can’t miss Sharp’s Magic Movie House and Penny Arcade , but make sure to go in – their mind-boggling selection of nougat and fudge is basically famous.

Find the local rhythm

the Riverboats Music Festival, Echuca Moama — The fun-filled Riverboats Music Festival is staged under towering river red gums. (Image: Visit Victoria)

One of the best ways to tap into the way of life here in Echuca Moama is to join one of the local goings-ons, of which there are many. For a start, we have the Echuca Moama Parkrun along the Campaspe Esplanade every Saturday, perfect for the early risers (go time is 8am). Makers and creators will appreciate the Echuca Farmers Market , which takes over Heygarth Street with artisanal goods and fresh produce on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month; not forgetting the Moama Market , where you’ll find everything from jams to jerky. For one night each month you’ll find Tongala Public Hall filled with local talent and foot-stomping tunes from the Echuca Country Music concert , while annual events include the Riverboats Music Festival (“one of the prettiest, most inexpensive festivals in Australia") and the 3 Rivers Festival , a good time, grass roots celebration of Aboriginal culture, art and sport.

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Just 15 years ago, Federal Mills was a very different place. Once among the most significant industrial sites in Victoria, the historic woollen mill was one of a dozen that operated in Geelong at the industry’s peak in the mid-20th century, helping the city earn its title as ‘wool centre of the world’. But by the 1960s global competition and the rise of synthetic fabrics led to the slow decline of the industry, and Federal Mills finally shuttered its doors in 2001. Within a few years, the abandoned North Geelong grounds had become makeshift pastoral land, with cows and goats grazing among the overgrown grass between the empty red-brick warehouses. It was a forgotten pocket of the city, all but two klicks from the bustle of the CBD.

Geelong cellar door wine bar — Geelong has shed its industrial identity to become an innovative urban hub with reimagined heritage spaces. (Image: Ash Hughes)

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Today, the century-old complex stands reborn. The distinctive sawtooth-roof buildings have been sensitively restored. An old silo is splashed with a bright floral mural, landscapers have transformed the grounds, and the precinct is once again alive with activity. More than 1000 people work across 50-plus businesses here. It’s so busy, in fact, that on a sunny Thursday morning in the thick of winter, it’s hard to find a car park. The high ceilings, open-plan design, and large multi-paned windows – revolutionary features for factories of their time – have again become a drawcard.

Paddock Bakery andPatisserie — Paddock Bakery and Patisserie is housed within the historic wool factory. (Image: Gallant Lee)

At Paddock , one of the precinct’s newer tenants, weaving looms and dye vats have been replaced by a wood-fired brick oven and heavy-duty mixers. Open since April 2024, the bakery looks right at home here; the building’s industrial shell is softened by ivy climbing its steel frames, and sunlight streams through the tall windows. Outside, among the white cedar trees, families at picnic benches linger over dippy eggs and bagels, while white-collar workers pass in and out, single-origin coffee and crème brûlée doughnuts in hand.

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

Paddock Bakery can be found at Federal Mills. (Image: Gallant Lee)

“A lot of people are now seeing the merit of investing in Geelong,” says Paul Traynor, the head of Hamilton Hospitality Group, which redeveloped Federal Mills. A city once shunned as Sleepy Hollow, and spurned for its industrial, working-class roots and ‘rust belt’ image, Geelong has long since reclaimed its ‘Pivot City’ title, having reinvented itself as an affordable, lifestyle-driven satellite city, and a post-COVID migration hotspot.

And the numbers stand testament to the change. In March 2025, and for the first time in its history, Greater Geelong became Australia’s most popular regional town for internal migration, overtaking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Current forecasts suggest Geelong will continue to outpace many other Australian cities and towns, with jobs growing at double the rate of the population.

Tourism is booming, too. The 2023-24 financial year was Geelong and The Bellarine region’s busiest on record, with 6.4 million visitors making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country. It’s not hard to see why: beyond the city’s prime positioning at the doorstep of the Great Ocean Road, Geelong’s tenacity and cultural ambition stands out.

As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, Geelong is swiftly shaking off its industrial past to become a model for urban renewal, innovation, sustainability and creative communities. The signs are everywhere, from the revitalisation of the city’s waterfront, and the landmark design of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and Geelong Arts Centre, to the growing network of local designers, architects and artists, and the burgeoning roster of festivals and events. That’s not even mentioning the adaptive reuse of storied old industrial buildings – from Federal Mills, to Little Creatures’ brewery ‘village’ housed within a 1920s textile mill – or the city’s flourishing food and wine scene.

The rise of a food and wine destination

Restaurant 1915 is housed within a restored former boiler house. (Image: Harry Pope/Two Palms)

Traynor credits now-closed local restaurant Igni, which opened in 2016, as the turning point for Geelong’s hospo industry. “[Aaron Turner, Igni’s chef-patron] was probably the first guy, with all due respect, to raise the bar food-wise for Geelong,” he says. “People now treat it really seriously, and there’s clearly a market for it.” While Igni is gone, Turner now helms a string of other notable Geelong venues, including The Hot Chicken Project and Tacos y Liquor, all within the buzzy, street art-speckled laneways of the CBD’s Little Malop Street Precinct. Many others have also popped up in Igni’s wake, including Federal Mills’ own restaurant, 1915 . Housed within the cavernous boiler house, 1915’s interior is dramatic: soaring, vaulted ceilings with timber beams, exposed brick, a huge arched window. The share plates echo the space’s bold character, playing with contrast and texture, with dishes such as a compressed watermelon tataki, the sweet, juicy squares tempered by salty strands of fried leeks, and charred, smoky snow peas dusted with saganaki on a nutty bed of romesco.

The Woolstore , one of The Hamilton Group’s most recent hospo projects, opened in February. It occupies a century-old riverside warehouse and exudes a more sultry, fine dining ambience. Much like Federal Mills, the blueprint was to preserve the original brickwork, tallowwood flooring and nods to the building’s former life. That same careful consideration extends to the well-versed, affable waitstaff as well as the kitchen. Head chef Eli Grubb is turning out an eclectic mix of ambitious and indulgent mod Oz dishes that deliver: strikingly tender skewers of chicken tsukune, infused with hints of smoke from the parrilla grill, and glazed with a moreish, sweet gochujang ‘jam’; nduja arancini fragrant with hints of aniseed and the earthy lick of sunny saffron aioli; and golden squares of potato pavé, adorned with tiny turrets of crème fraîche, crisp-fried saltbush leaves, and Avruga caviar, to name but a few stand-out dishes.

Woolstore menu — Woolstore’s menu is designed for sharing.

Breathing new life into historic spaces

On the city’s fringe, hidden down a winding side road with little fanfare, lies a long-dormant site that’s being gently revived. Built from locally quarried bluestone and brick, and dating back to the 1870s, the complex of original tin-roofed mill buildings is lush with greenery and backs onto the Barwon River and Buckley Falls; the audible rush of water provides a soothing soundtrack. Fyansford Paper Mill is one of few complexes of its time to survive intact. It feels steeped in history and spellbindingly rustic.

“We were looking for an old industrial place that had some charm and romance to it,” explains Sam Vogel, the owner, director and winemaker at Provenance Wines which moved here in 2018. When he first viewed the building with his former co-owner, it was in such a state of disrepair that the tradie tenant occupying the space had built a shed within it to escape the leaking roof and freezing winter temperatures. “To say it was run down would be an understatement,” he notes. “There was ivy growing through the place; the windows were all smashed. It was a classic Grand Designs project.”

Provenance Wines moved to Fyansford Paper Mill in 2018. (Image: Cameron Murray Photography)

The team has since invested more than a million dollars into their new home. Where paper processing machinery once sat, wine barrels are now stacked. Vaulted cathedral ceilings are strung with festoon lights, and hidden in plain sight lies a shadowy mural by local street artist de rigueur Rone – one of only three permanent works by the artist.

While the award-winning, cool-climate pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay naturally remain a key draw at Provenance, the winery’s restaurant is a destination in itself. Impressed already by whipsmart service, I devour one of the most cleverly curated and faultlessly executed degustations I’ve had in some time. It’s all prepared in a kitchen that is proudly zero-waste, and committed to providing seasonal, ethical and locally sourced meat and produce under head chef Nate McIver. Think free-range venison served rare with a syrupy red wine jus and a half-moon of neon-orange kosho, shokupan with a deeply savoury duck fat jus (a modern Japanese take on bread and drippings), and a golden potato cake adorned with a colourful confetti of dehydrated nasturtiums and tomato powder, and planted atop a sea urchin emulsion.

handcrafted pieces — Bell’s handcrafted functional pieces on display.

The complex is home to a coterie of independent businesses, including a gallery, a jeweller, and its latest tenant, ceramicist Elizabeth Bell, drawn here by the building’s “soul”. “There’s so much potential for these buildings to have new life breathed into them,” says Bell, whose studio is housed within the old pump room. “Even people in Geelong don’t know we’re here,” she says. “It’s definitely a destination, but I like that. It has a really calming atmosphere.”

A Melbourne transplant, Bell now feels at home in Geelong, which offers something Melbourne didn’t. “If this business was in Melbourne I don’t think it would’ve been as successful,” she notes. “It’s very collaborative in Geelong, and I don’t think you get that as much in Melbourne; you’re a bit more in it for yourself. Here it’s about community over competition.”

Things to do in Echuca Moama: paddle steamers, riverside cycling and cellar-door hopping