hero media

This charming riverside town has been named Victoria’s best

Credit: Visit Victoria

Jessica O'Donnell Jessica O'Donnell
Echuca has just been crowned Victoria’s Top Tourism Town for 2026.

Each year, every Australian state announces a winning destination across three competitive categories: Top Tourism Town, Top Small Tourism Town and Top Tiny Tourism Town – and Victoria has just announced its winners.

After finishing in third place in 2025, the historic riverside town of Echuca returned to take the crown for Top Tourism Town for 2026. With a picturesque position on the banks of the Murray River on the Victorian-NSW border across from its twin border town of Moama, Echuca is renowned for its historic paddlesteamers, houseboat stays and wineries.

Having also earned a spot in Australian Traveller’s exclusive, expert panel-voted list of Australia’s 100 best towns for 2026, it’s safe to say this rural gem is having a good year.

Victoria’s Top Tourism Town

Echuca's historic Paddlesteamers on the Murray River
The riverside town has a rich history and no shortage of activities to uncover. (Credit: Visit Victoria)

Just a 2.5-hour drive from Melbourne, this charming town has unhindered access to the Murray River and the Campaspe River, which flows from Victoria’s Central Highlands to join the Murray west of Echuca, delivering plenty of on-water activities as well as riverside walking trails, prime fishing spots, and an abundance of native birdlife.

Once home to Australia’s largest inland port, travellers can experience Echuca’s river-trading past onboard the town’s historic paddlesteamers with a cruise along the Murray River. Launching in September 2026, visitors will soon be able to sleep onboard the PS Australian Star, Australia’s first five-star river cruise, with all-inclusive three-, four-, and seven-night itineraries departing from Echuca.

Those who prefer to do their own thing can hire a houseboat and spend a weekend drifting down the river, or, if you have less time, spend a day exploring the river by kayak or canoe and soak in the stunning riverfront.

The Discovery Centre at the Port of Echuca
The Discovery Centre at the Port of Echuca explores the town’s history. (Credit: Visit Victoria)

Back on dry land, make the most of Echuca’s food and drink scene with a stop at Echuca Distillery for spirits or pop across the river to its sister town, Moama, for Two Lads Brewing, Morrisons Winery and Old School Winery to taste honey wine and buy hand-thrown pottery under one roof.

The Riverboats Music Festival
The Riverboats Music Festival is an annual event. (Credit: Visit Victoria)

The year-round events calendar includes Riverboats Music Festival and the Festival of Stories, so there’s no shortage of things to do in this Victorian town.

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

AI Prompt

Victoria’s Top Small Tourism Town

Wine bar with ocean views at Port Arlington
Portarlington is a foodie’s dream. (Credit: Visit Victoria)

This year, the title of Victoria’s Top Small Tourism Town went to Portarlington, a seaside town on the Bellarine Peninsula known as Australia’s mussel capital.

Food is a major part of its appeal. Fresh mussels are harvested from the waters of Port Phillip Bay, while local restaurants, nearby wineries and even a boutique mussel cruise make it easy to build an entire weekend around eating and drinking.

But there’s more to Portarlington than just seafood. Visitors can swim, fish and boat in the bay, tee off at the local golf course or wander the town’s shops before checking into the beautifully restored Portarlington Grand Hotel, which dates back to 1888.

Victoria’s Top Tiny Tourism Town

Coastal view of Portsea in Mornington Peninsula
Although it has a reputation for being exclusive, the coastal calm Portsea has to offer is refreshingly simple (Credit: Visit Victoria)

For towns with fewer than 1500 residents, Portsea took out the top prize.

Sitting at the tip of the Mornington Peninsula, the tiny coastal town has the best of both worlds: the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay on one side and the wild Bass Strait coastline on the other.

A day here can be as laid-back or adventurous as you fancy. Swim at Portsea Front Beach, wander the clifftop trails or head into nearby Point Nepean National Park, where walking and cycling tracks weave between spectacular coastal scenery and remnants of the area’s military and quarantine history.

And although Portsea has a reputation as one of the Mornington Peninsula’s more exclusive enclaves, its biggest drawcards are refreshingly simple: beautiful beaches, dramatic coastal walks and plenty of opportunities to slow down and take a breath.

Want to see more stories from Australian Traveller in your Google search results?

  1. Click here to set Australian Traveller as a preferred source.
  2. Tick the box next to "Australian Traveller". That's it.
Jessica O'Donnell
Jessica O’Donnell is Evergreen Editor at Australian Traveller. After nearly seven years in London, she returned to her hometown of Sydney with a fresh appreciation for the places and experiences on her doorstep. Previously Ecommerce Editor at Women’s Health UK, she’s also written for The Telegraph, The Times, Runner’s World and Cosmopolitan in the UK, as well as ELLE and Harper’s BAZAAR Australia. At Australian Traveller, she helps readers plan memorable Australian escapes, from coastal weekends to city stays. When she’s not writing or editing content, you’ll likely find her hunting down Sydney’s best dirty martini or adding to the ever-growing stack of books on her bedside table.
View profile and articles
WET deck and indoor pool at the W Melbourne
Melbourne

The best hotels in Melbourne

Melbourne has never lacked great hotels, but the city’s spread of accommodation has expanded into an impressive range over the past few years. A wave of new openings has pushed local design to the forefront, doubled down on luxurious digs, highlighted the city’s cultural cache, and flourished outside of the CBD.

Read more
The Kettle Black, South Melbourne
Melbourne

Our guide to 39 of the best cafes in Melbourne

Melbourne’s cafe scene is second to none and these local favourites prove it.

Read more
Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria
Great Ocean Road

The new 12 Apostles visitor centre is open – see it before the tourist tax arrives

The Keerray Woorroong Visitor Centre has officially opened, but there's still one big change to come.

Read more
Melbourne skyline as seen from Point Ormond
Melbourne

Elwood: A neighbourhood guide to this leafy Melbourne suburb

Tall London Plane trees, fascinating Art Deco architecture, and a small, peaceful beach give Elwood a great deal of character. This Melbourne suburb is home to many underrated cafes and wine bars, framed by a slower lifestyle than the rest of the vibrant city.

Read more
hero media

Explore historic wine towns and sculpture trails on a 3-day self-guided Murray River cruise

    Ricky French Ricky French
    Continue
    Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place. 

    Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat. 

    After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.    

    Murray River
    The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

    Setting sail from Mildura 

    Murray River birds
    Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

    A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.  

    My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.  

    Stop one: Echuca  

    19th-century paddlesteamers
    A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star, is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.  

    The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.  

    Stop two: Barmah National Park 

    Barmah National Park
    Camping riverside in Barmah National Park, listed as a Ramsar site for its significant wetland values. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

    Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.  

    The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.  

    Stop three: Cobram 

    Yarrawonga MulwalaGolf Club Resort
    Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange. 

    The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.  

    Stop four: Albury-Wodonga 

    First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk
    First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

    Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country. 

    A traveller’s checklist  

    Staying there

    New Mildura motel Kar-rama
    New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

    Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town. 

    Playing there

    BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura
    Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

    Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists. 

    Eating there

    Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.