Echuca Moama’s river life, cellar doors and dining scene make it the most overlooked winter weekend escape from Melbourne.
Step off the train at Echuca Railway Station and, within minutes, you’re on the banks of the Murray River, watching a paddle steamer ease past a forest of towering red gums. Although it’s just a 2.5-hour drive, you don’t need a car or complicated logistics. Just a three-hour journey from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station and a short walk through Echuca Moama will have you drinking in the cool country air, seduced by the region’s stillness.
A river runs through it
Echuca Moama – the twin towns straddling the Victoria-NSW border on Yorta Yorta Country – has been doing its thing for a long time, but remains somewhat under the radar. The paddle steamers are still running daily in the historic port precinct dating back to the 1860s. And there are always houseboats drifting by. But something is shifting – the food and drink scene is building momentum, there is a more visible creative community, and a growing appetite for slower, experience-led travel that is worth paying attention to.
The name Yorta Yorta means ‘the meeting of waters’ and, standing at the confluence of the Goulburn, Campaspe and Murray rivers, you understand why. The river isn’t merely a backdrop in Echuca Moama. It’s the whole point. Home to the world’s largest fleet of operating paddle steamers – and no, they’re not museum pieces – you can board the PS Emmylou or PS Pevensey for a memorable cruise on the wide river, which coils through the ancient landscape.
Moama on the Murray Houseboats offer another way in: moor your 12-berth luxury vessel along a quiet bend, fish at dusk and wake up to nothing but the sound of the river and pensive birdsong. To get a sense of the scale of River Country, you can also take to the air with pilot Peter McDonald of Murray Darling Scenic Flights.
Echuca Moama also offers opportunities to engage with First Nations culture through art, storytelling and interpretation. Galleries including The Foundry Arts Space and MarraMarra Gallery Marketplace showcase both traditional and contemporary perspectives and both are worth an afternoon of your time.
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Where to dine and drink in River Country
The food and wine scene in Murray River country has been shaped by families who’ve been working the same land for generations – reading the river, learning the soil, running dairies, vineyards and grazing properties. Now? The next generation has built on those foundations, adding cellar doors, breweries, wine bars and contemporary dining to the region, deepening the layers of connection to place in Australia’s most intact heritage river port.
Pasta is the go at Embr Moama, the pulled lamb mafaldine, in particular, and a cheeky tasting plate of dumplings the must-order at pan-Asian eatery, Monkee & Co. At Opa on High Street, Echuca, the menu skews toward traditional Greek; book the balcony for evening sittings to enjoy plates of charred lamb, saganaki, and a moussaka that justifies the trip on its own. Just a short walk away is Sunago, the family-friendly Greek alternative.
Bar Lee is the rooftop bar, restaurant and distillery worth bookmarking for sundowners, seasonal small plates, local produce and a drinks list built around Echuca Distillery’s award-winning gins and vodkas. No-fuss, regionally focussed wine bar The Social is another essential stop.
For breakfast and grazing, Hammond Providore is known for its local produce, generous platters, and all the provisions you need for a few lazy, hazy days on a houseboat. Sweet Meadow, in the heart of Echuca, has built a following based around plant-based cooking that is as considered as the venue itself. Meanwhile, Riverbank Moama is a top spot to perch to enjoy Mod Oz fare like duck salad or chicken, spinach and pea risotto with one of the best river views in town. Book ahead.
The pubs here are also the real deal. 1895 The Royal and 1865 American Hotel are both historic anchors of the port precinct, the Border Inn is best known for its modern beer garden and live music. Two Lads Brewing and Bandicoot Brewing offer craft beers, while Paradise Bar offers big Echuca energy and is a fun new place to frolic. Make a note to return in summer when the poolside parties resume.
The cellar doors
Over winter, the days in Echuca Moama stay clear and sunny; the nights cool quickly and, when the temperature drops, the cellar doors come into their own with log fires and long pours. Curl up at Cape Horn Vineyard with a glass of durif beside an open fire, the river visible through the trees, and nowhere to be for the rest of the afternoon. The purple-hued sparkling durif shiraz has earned its status as a best-seller. The winery sits on a sandhill wedged between the Murray and Goulburn rivers, its glass-enclosed cellar door spilling onto a riverside bar. On weekends there’s live music and woodfired pizza.
The smartest way to see the cellar doors in River Country is, of course, by boat. Morrison’s Winery runs a Wharf to Winery tour – a scenic cruise aboard the PS Canberra followed by a two-course lunch and tastings at the riverside estate. Expect the local wildlife – clad in heavy, winter coats – to make cameos, which adds up to an excellent afternoon, glass of wine in hand. You can also explore Echuca-Moama wineries by e-bike on an eco-friendly Green Pedal guided tour.
St Anne’s Winery has a cellar door set among the vines overlooking a lake in Moama, and a second in the heart of the Port of Echuca, housed in a converted 19th-century carriage builder’s workshop. The McLean family have been making wine in the region for close to five decades. Both are open seven days with free tastings daily – grab a cheese and charcuterie platter, pick up a bottle and a box of Echuca Chocolate Company liqueurs, and stay for another pour.
Where to stay in Echuca Moama
Accommodation in Echuca Moama runs the full spectrum. For boutique stays close to the port and dining precinct, CocknBull, Quest Echuca and Mercure Port of Echuca are all well-located options. For something more resort-style with easy river access, Tindarra Resort and Perricoota Vines Retreat deliver on space and setting.
For something more intimate, Goolwa River Retreat offers elevated riverfront cottages and houses perched above the Murray, while Wisps of Wool Retreat is a luxury bush house with an outdoor bath and river access. At Perricoota Station, original heritage buildings near The Packing Shed have been restored and fitted with bespoke interiors that draw from the colours and textures of the river – guests also have access to a private pontoon.
Families are well served by NRMA Echuca Holiday Park and Discovery Parks Moama Waters, both combining accommodation with pools, play areas and river access. Further afield, Lost & Found Barham sits on a working avocado farm – an unexpected and genuinely charming base for exploring the wider region.
And then, of course, there’s the houseboat. Moor along a quiet bend, fall asleep to the sound of the current, and wake up somewhere that looks like a painting. It’s the most Echuca Moama way to stay.
Winter Blues Festival 2026
Book a trip for the Winter Blues Festival in late July, which takes over pubs, streets and venues across the twin towns for four days of live music. It’s the kind of walkable, unhurried weekend that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. October’s Moama Boatarama combines boats, food, family activities and entertainment in a relaxed, community-focused river setting. Come November, the Pop & Pour Festival showcases regional producers with tastings, music and a social riverside atmosphere.
A working river, a train that drops you in the heart of the twin towns, cellar doors with logs burning, pubs with genuine heart and a food scene finally catching up to the landscape – Echuca Moama is the winter weekend away we didn’t know we needed.
Echuca Railway Station is serviced by V/Line from Melbourne’ s Southern Cross Station. For more information visit echucamoama.com
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