EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

ECHUCA , a lively and progressive place, is the most easily accessible river town from Melbourne - it's only three hours or so by bus or car, making it a popular weekend getaway. Echuca became the largest inland port in Australia after the railway line connected it with Melbourne in 1864. When the missions began to close in the 1930s, many Aboriginal families, especially Yorta Yorta people from Cummeragunga mission, and Wemba Wemba from Moonacullah mission, migrated to the Echuca area. Since they weren't made welcome in the towns, the migrants were forced to live on the fringes in badly constructed, flood-prone housing, just close enough to be able to get to work and school. Women commonly worked in the canneries and hospitals, and the men packed fruit, sheared sheep and did other labouring jobs.

Nowadays, Port of Echuca , with its massive wharves and collection of old buildings, is a major tourist attraction, and several cruises ply along the river from here. The town itself, however, is not too touristy, and has retained much of its charm. There are two principal streets: High Street, the former main street, leads to Murray Esplanade and the wharf, and is the centre of tourist activity, with lots of cafés and boutiquey shops; Hare Street, the present-day main street, is lined with more commercial buildings.