Echuca, Victoria, Australia

Echuca Town Hall
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Echuca_Town_Hall_003.JPG
Author: Mattinbgn


Echuca is a town on the Murray River in Victoria, Australia. The Murray forms the border between Victoria and New South Wales, with the town of Moama being in New South Wales, across from Echuca. Echuca has a population of about 13,000 people (2012 estimate).

Echuca traces its beginnings to 1850, when ex-convict Henry Hopwood started a ferry service across the Murray River, having arrived at the site two years earlier. Originally the place was called Hopwood's Ferry, but it was renamed Echuca in 1855.

Echuca Primary School, a historic school building in Echuca
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Echuca_School_001.JPG
Author: Mattinbgn


Unlike many other places in Australia, there was no hostility between the Aborigines and the incoming settlers in Echuca. However the newcomers brought diseases such as smallpox which decimated the indigenous population. Over time, the Aborigines were pushed to the fringes of society, playing the role of fishermen and farm help.

Echuca's beginnings were attributed to its location as a ferry crossing. However the improvements to railways and roads in Victoria made it a casualty, as traffic bypassed the town. By the 1890s Echuca was in decline. Today its economy is supported mainly by tourism.

Visiting Echuca

From Melbourne, take the M31 (Hume Freeway) then continue north on the B75 (Northern Highway) until you arrive in Echuca.

Places of Interest in Echuca

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