Echuca Things to Do

You'll actually need to have a shooters license in Victoria to play paintball, which is why this paintball centre is located across the Murray river, in New South Wales. I know it's not a very touristy thing to do, but I did it for free because I sold paintball tickets as a job. This way I found out that it's a great thing to do for a day and when you drive up there from Melbourne, you'll see a lot of the country too!

If you live in this part of the world, you will have heard of this place.
I vividly remember walking around the streets around 7.00am and noticing around 7 cars queueing at a notorious hamburger joint. My disappointment manifested itself and, shaking my head in frustration I walked on, past the bakery store, wondering why Aussies couldn't eat some Aussie tucker. When I returned around 9.00am with Rosemarie I thought I noticed someone exiting the bakery and there was a distinct smell of temptation emanating from the store.
I talked Rosemarie into having a coffee if they were open.
OPEN??? As I walked through the doors I couldn't believe how busy the place was. I counted 12 staff working flat out and customers everywhere. It was amazing, the busiest bakery I had ever seen.
After making our purchases we sat a a windowside table and I ate the tastiest apple square I've ever put between my lips.
This store is a branch of the original in, rather obviously, Beechworth and the founder has written a book on how he makes his pastries. It's available in the store.
My faith, for the time being at least, had been restored!
When Tom O'Toole bought the building in Beechworth the first time, it was known as the Ideal Cafe and Milk Bar, and had no tables or chairs.
He sold the building 3 years later in 1977 before moving to Augusta in Western Australia where he earned his stripes as a leading country baker.
1984 saw Tom return to Beechworth and he repurchased the bakery building, along with the draper's building next door. Taking care to preserve the facade of the original building, major renovations were started and continued and his business now covers 6 shops.

The old gypsy van is an exact replica of the types of vans that used to travel the countryside attending fairs, shows and other gatherings and take photos for a price.

You can get your photo taken in anyone of a number of old fashion clothing and reproduced like an antique photograph. Today it's done digitally, but the results look in keeping with the theme.

Maybe you would prefer to navigate the Murray yourself? Why not rent a houseboat for a few days?
They are easy to drive after a little tuition and allow you to stop wherever you like along the way. You can tow a boat for skiing or fishing, or just fish off the side.
There are different size boats available, depending on how many people are along for the trip. Some have spas, bars and bbq's.

There are several paddlesteamers just waiting for you to come aboard for a trip along the Murray River.

The world's oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer is the PS ADELAIDE of 1866.
The PS PEVENSEY (1911) starred as the PS Philadelphia in the TV series "All The Rivers Run". It was filmed entirely on location in Echuca.

The captains commentaries give you a real insight into the history, navigation and legends of the mighty Murray.

Breakfast or dinner cruises are both available.

Visiting the old port and buildings in the 'old township' along the river front area is a must see. Echuca has really 3 parts: the old town by the river, along a little lane, with larger historic buildings in the street behind that, then in another part of town, the 'new town' with modern buildings and shops. It's rather larger than I remembered, so allow time to see it!
The 1/2 an hour we had, just wasn't long enough to explore the old town, a bit like a river town theme park but not enclosed...

Pictured here are two of the most famous of Echuca's historical craft.
The one only partly visible on the left is the P.S. Alexander Abruthnot. It has the distinction of being the last steamer built on the Murray during the riverboat trade years and was used mainly as a logging boat until she was sold to charcoal producers in the Barmah Forest.
By World War II she was disused and eventually sank at her mooorings in 1947 but, in 1972, was resurrected by volunteers from the town of Shepparton and, in 1989 was purchased by the City of Echuca for restoration at the Port of Echuca.
The P.S. Pevensey, whose tonnage of 136 is nearly three times that of the Abruthnot, uses one ton of wood per hour under steam and can hold 100 passengers.
She was built across the river in Moama in 1911 but caught fire in 1932. Though rebuilt, hard times took over and she became a floating museum and was bought in for restoration in 1973, a project that took three years.
These two and the P.S. Adelaide are owned by the Port of Echuca.

How about this for an interesting fact - for a time, leeches were exported to London from here for medical purposes!
The 1862 Land Act freed up land in the district and this led to the development of the port.
A proposal that the government link Melbourne directly to the river trade by extending the emerging railway system to Echuca came to fruition in 1864. The immediate effect was that the population trebled during the next year. The rail link also prompted the construction during that year of the famous redgum wharf.
Shipbuilding and foundries subsequently became substantial industries and Echuca further benefited from the the growing demand for local red-gum timber which proved ideal for wharves, railway sleepers, mining props and building generally. A dozen timber mills were soon in operation.
The town reached its peak in the 1870s and 1880s and was nominated, along with several others, as a possible national capital in 1891.
However, it was mainly the development of the railway system, its extension to other Murray River towns, plus the unreliability of water levels, the lack of a national strategy for the river trade and coming dominance of road transport that ultimately led to the demise of trade on the rivers. It is a famous saying that the day the railway extensions arrived the captains walked off their ships and left them there.
Fortunately however, many of the old structures associated with the port were left standing, if neglected, when the focus of business shifted to another part of town.
Pig farming and dairying developed in the 1890s and 1900s and with them the establishment of bacon and butter factories. Closer settlement expanded agricultural production, particularly with soldier settlement after World War I. Echuca was declared a city in 1965.