Welcome to Echuca-Moama
By NATALEE WARD
Being one of the first country towns in
Australia to
have its own Web Site is typical of Echuca - a small country town
(population 10,000) with big, progressive ideas.
Echuca is a rural tourist town with a community that works
hard to harness and develop its best features - its rich history,
the Murray River, a generally sunny, warm climate, and an all
round friendly, easy going ambience. The hard work has paid off
in that it's all just sitting there waiting to be taken in.
One of the best features of this place is the relaxed, kick-back
atmosphere, created by a combination of the Murray River
(one of the biggest rivers in Australia) meandering through the area,
and the historic paddlesteamers still chugging up and down the
river as they did a century ago.
The dual nature of the town is great.
It's outback Australia, but it has nurtured its own city style,
and it's the closest Murray River
town to Melbourne (just a two hour drive from Victoria's capital). It's
quiet and calm, but the pub life, numerous restaurants and clubs
create a great social atmosphere.
Four major clubs have been
built in the area which provide entertainment in the form of poker
machines, on-site sporting venues and museums, as well as some
of the cheapest meals in the land.
The sporting facilities, from two 18 hole golf
courses, international bowling greens, and of course the river for an
abundance of water sports, appeal to the old and the young alike.
The major shopping areas stock authentic historical goods, and
there are numerous streets established for general daily shopping.
The best part about the historical element in the area is that it's
so natural and uncommercialised. Although the paddlesteamers
and horse drawn carts are no longer the important forms of
transport they were a century ago, they still operate in exactly the
same manner, filling the area with the paddlesteamer's haunting
whistle and the lazy clip-clop of horses.
Arrive in the region in summer time, and chances are
you will be treated to one form of celebration or another.
The Paddlesteamer, Jazz, Food
and Wine Festival each February captures the best of jazz
intertwined with local food, wine and climate, and the Southern
80 Ski Race that same month sees the town packed for one of the
biggest water skiing races in Australia. Boats towing two skiers apiece
reach speeds of up to 100 miles an hour along the twisting 80km river course.
In June Echuca hosts the Rotary Club's major fundraiser... a Steam,
Horse and Vintage Rally with classic cars, working horse teams and
giant steam traction engines strutting their stuff.
In October the Rich River Festival captures some of the
best art and culture the region has to offer. There are lots of other events
happening year-round and when there's not there simply isn't
any finer entertainment than sitting by the river watching the
world go by (the paddlesteamers chug by or the water skiers fly
by), kicking back in a beer garden, or dining al fresco in one of
the nicest climates in Australia.
For more information on attractions, coming events and bookings just e-mail:
tourism@echuca.net.au
Tour the Virtual Port of Echuca
Read about Echuca-Moama's
colorful history
Visit Echuca's award-winning River
Gallery Inn B&B
Return to the Echuca Internet Home Page
You are visitor number since September 30 1996.