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Photograph by Chris Van Hove
Echuca wasn’t always such a gentle idyll. Back in the riverboat days of the mid- to late 19th century, it was all illegal drinking dens, fruity language on the wharf and whirring sawmills. Dot Hammond, president of the Echuca Historical Society, says its location led to Echuca becoming Australia’s biggest inland port. “Echuca is the closest settlement to Melbourne along the Murray River, and at the time it had the only river-crossing punts. After 1864, when rail came from Melbourne to Echuca, a line ran directly to the wharf,” she explains. “The paddle steamers would often unload goods directly onto the train at the wharf for the journey to the markets at Bendigo or Melbourne.”
Photo: Emily Godfrey
Echuca was founded in 1854, and very quickly became Australia s largest inland port. Part of this was due to being on a relatively narrow bend in the Murray River, which proved a logical crossing point between Victoria and NSW.
The key geographical bonus, though, was being the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne. Goods from across the Murray Darling basin could be brought to Echuca for unloading, then transported to Melbourne. You will now receive updates from Traveller Newsletter
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