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> Discover Victoria > Places to see > Echuca
Take a relaxing holiday where the locals go.
Located along the majestic Murray River, Echuca is an idyllic location for a
weekend away, and is where many visitors from Bendigo, Castlemaine and
southern NSW go for their holidays.
The
town was the centre of the river trade in the late 1800s, and the tradition
of the old salty sea dogs continues as new generations of skippers take the
original paddle steamers out on the river for pleasure cruises.
Sailing on a paddle steamer along the Murray River, the riverbank trees
casting shadows over the boat and the sun glinting off the water, you could
be forgiven for thinking Echuca is paradise.
Back
on dry land, you could spend a full day in the Port of Echuca
precinct, and still not run out of things to do and see.
Check out Sharp’s Magic Movie House and Penny Arcade,
with its rare collection of old gaming machines – and the Echuca Heritage
Sweet Company, where you’ll find a huge array of tempting, homemade sweets.
You
can also let the kids run wild at the Golden Cow Dairy Centre
in Tongala, and enjoy the daily milking at 11am. Visitors can enter the pens
and pat the calves and lambs, and look at the display of old Nestle milk tins
from ages past.
Yet while there are plenty of activities in Echuca to tempt even the most active
family, you could also have as much enjoyment sitting on the banks of a river
with a picnic lunch, and soaking up the ambience of this charming river town.
Watch V/Line’s TV commercial for Echuca below.
How to
get there
Echuca
is approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes by train from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station.
Along the way, you can
take in the scenery of Melbourne’s suburbs and the northern region of Victoria.
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View timetable information
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Use Plan your
Journey (help) on the top left hand side
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Find out where to buy tickets
Passengers
travelling to Echuca have several options:
1. Board a train
directly to Echuca
2. Board a train to Bendigo, then catch a connecting coach to Echuca
3. Board a train to
Shepparton, then catch a connecting coach to Echuca
4. Board a train to
Murchison East, then catch a connecting coach to Echuca
Fares –
effective 1 January 2009
Great
value return train fares Melbourne <> Echuca
Free travel
on trams, trains and buses
Your
V/Line ticket is also a Metcard.
This means you can use your ticket to travel on metropolitan Melbourne trams, trains and buses at no extra cost.
Please
note: since peak times are busy, we encourage
families to travel in off peak times if possible.
Transport
in Echuca
Echuca
Station
Echuca
Station is an easy 15 minute walk from the town centre and historic Port of Echuca on the Murray.
There is
also a taxi rank at the station, or local bikes are available for hire from the town centre or
the Port of Echuca.
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Guide to getting around Echuca-Moama (PDF, 280KB) 
Regional coaches
V/Line coach services link Echuca with Moama, Deniliquin,
Kyabram, Cohuna and Barham.
Suggested
weekend itinerary
Saturday
Head to
the Port of Echuca precinct and
gaze across the Murray River to NSW. Take a 1 hour tour on a
paddle-steamer, and join a walking tour around the port area.
Stroll
up Hare Street and Warren Street, and take in the old-time ice-creamery,
lolly shops, antique stores and second-hand book shops.
Get lost
for a few hours in the wilderness around Victoria Park, located between the
Murray River and Campaspe River at the far end of the port precinct.
Try one
of the great family restaurants in Echuca for a nosh-up at the end of a busy
day.
Sunday
Take a trip out of town, to the Golden Cow Dairy Centre, at
Tongala. The daily milking takes place at 11am, and kids can play with the
animals in the farmyard.
On the
way back to Echuca, stop at the Great Aussie Beer Shed to
meet Neil Thomas and see his collection of beer cans and great Australian
memorabilia. Lunch available by prior arrangement.
Swing by
the National Holden Motor Museum,
to see the biggest collection of the iconic Australian car in Australia.
More information
To
find out more about Echuca, visit these websites:
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Echuca-Moama
Tourism
·
Visit Victoria
Call us on 136 196 (+61 3 8608 5011 from overseas) with any V/Line
enquiries.
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