Echuca is a town located on the banks of the
Murray RiverThe Murray River, or River Murray and sometimes informally referred to as the "Mighty Murray", is Australia's largest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's...
in
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. Twin town
MoamaMoama is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray Shire Local Government Area. The town is directly across the Murray River from the larger tourist town of Echuca in the neighbouring state of Victoria, to which it is connected by a bridge...
is on the northern side of the river in
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. Its location at the closest point of the Murray to
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
contributed to its development as a thriving river port city during the 1800s. At the 2006
censusThe Australian census is administered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 8 August 2006. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they have also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933, 1947, and 1954...
, Echuca had a population of 12,358.
Echuca, an
AboriginalIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands, and these peoples' descendants. Indigenous Australians are distinguished as either Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders, who currently together make up about 2.6% of Australia's...
name meaning "Meeting of the Waters" is indicative of the role rivers have played in the town's existence.Echuca is situated close to the junction of the
GoulburnThe Goulburn River is a major inland river in Victoria, Australia.The headwaters of the Goulburn River rise in the western end of the Victoria Alps, near Mount Buller. The Eildon Dam creates Lake Eildon, a major storage of water for irrigation...
,
CampaspeThe Campaspe River is a river in Victoria, Australia, and was named, by Major Mitchell for Campaspe, a mistress of Alexander the Great.The river was known as yalooka by the local aboriginal people.-Course:...
and Murray Rivers.
Echuca was founded by one of the most enterprising characters of the early colonial days, an ex-convict named
Henry HopwoodHenry Hopwood was an English convict who established the thriving river town of Echuca in Victoria, Australia.- Early life :...
.
Echuca is a town located on the banks of the
Murray RiverThe Murray River, or River Murray and sometimes informally referred to as the "Mighty Murray", is Australia's largest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's...
in
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. Twin town
MoamaMoama is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray Shire Local Government Area. The town is directly across the Murray River from the larger tourist town of Echuca in the neighbouring state of Victoria, to which it is connected by a bridge...
is on the northern side of the river in
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. Its location at the closest point of the Murray to
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
contributed to its development as a thriving river port city during the 1800s. At the 2006
censusThe Australian census is administered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 8 August 2006. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they have also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933, 1947, and 1954...
, Echuca had a population of 12,358.
Echuca, an
AboriginalIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands, and these peoples' descendants. Indigenous Australians are distinguished as either Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders, who currently together make up about 2.6% of Australia's...
name meaning "Meeting of the Waters" is indicative of the role rivers have played in the town's existence.Echuca is situated close to the junction of the
GoulburnThe Goulburn River is a major inland river in Victoria, Australia.The headwaters of the Goulburn River rise in the western end of the Victoria Alps, near Mount Buller. The Eildon Dam creates Lake Eildon, a major storage of water for irrigation...
,
CampaspeThe Campaspe River is a river in Victoria, Australia, and was named, by Major Mitchell for Campaspe, a mistress of Alexander the Great.The river was known as yalooka by the local aboriginal people.-Course:...
and Murray Rivers.
Origin and growth
Echuca was founded by one of the most enterprising characters of the early colonial days, an ex-convict named
Henry HopwoodHenry Hopwood was an English convict who established the thriving river town of Echuca in Victoria, Australia.- Early life :...
. In 1850 he bought a small punt which operated across the Murray River near the Campaspe junction. The relatively small settlement known as "Hopwood's Ferry" became Echuca as the town grew. The Post Office known as Hopwoods Punt opened around 1854 and was renamed Echuca on 1 January 1855.
While the settlers at Echuca treated the local Aborigines with relative kindness, their way of life was irrevocably changed by their relationship with the Europeans. Having already been decimated by
smallpoxSmallpox is an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning spotted, or varus, meaning "pimple"...
in the late 1820s, in the 1850s many Aborigines developed a taste for European luxuries such as bread, tobacco, and most tragically, alcohol. They were relegated to the role of fringe-dwellers, living on the banks of the Murray, and occasionally entering into the European economy as fishermen and farm labourers, and by selling the
possum rugsPossum-skin cloaks were a form of clothing worn by Aborigines in the south-east of Australia – present-day Victoria and New South Wales.The cloaks were made from numerous possum pelts sewn together with kangaroo sinew, and often decorated with significant incisions on the inside such as clan...
which they crafted. Within a few short decades, their lifestyles had become unrecognisable from that of their ancestors.
By the 1870s Echuca had risen to prominence as Australia's largest inland port. Being the point of shortest distance between the Murray River and the major city of Melbourne, Echuca was both a key river port and railway junction. Steam-driven
paddleboatsA paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a steam engine that uses one or more paddle wheels to develop thrust for propulsion. It is also a type of steamboat. Boats with paddle wheels on the sides are termed sidewheelers, while those with a single wheel on the stern are known as sternwheelers....
would arrive at Echuca's 400-metre long
redgumRedgum was an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/, hugh mcdonald on vocals and Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were soon joined by Chris Timms on violin. All four had been students at Flinders...
wharf, unloading it to be transported by rail to Melbourne.
WoolWool is a fibrous protein derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles. The wool is taken from animals in the Caprinae family, principally sheep, but the hair of certain species of other mammals including: goats, llamas, and rabbits may also be called wool...
,
wheatWheat is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, other grains, livestock and timber were the most common cargoes. The wharf has been listed as a Heritage Place on the
Australian National Heritage ListThe Australian National Heritage List is a list of places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia. The list includes natural, historic and indigenous places...
.
This industrial boom led to a rapidly expanding population, at one stage in excess of 15,000, with more than a hundred
pubsA public house or pub for short in Australia is an establishment performing many functions, often serving alcoholic beverages, meals, and providing basic accommodation.-Origin:...
(hotels) rumoured to exist in the Echuca district at one time. An iron bridge was constructed over the Murray River in the 1870s.
Decline
The expansion of the railways from Melbourne to most parts of Victoria, as well as improvements to roads and fickle river conditions all combined to lessen Echuca's importance, and by the 1890s the paddlesteamer fleet was in decline. An economic
depressionIn economics, a recession is a general slowdown in economic activity over a long period of time, or a business cycle contraction. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
and the collapse of several banks virtually ended Echuca's role as a major economic centre, and her population began to disperse.
Today
The main industry in Echuca now is
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
, as visitors are attracted to the town by its warm climate, the river, its historical features such as the Port of Echuca, and sporting attractions, such as
golfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
courses and lawn bowls greens. Annual activities include the Southern 80 waterski race (February) the Jazz, Food and Wine Festival (February) the Rotary Steam Horse and Vintage Rally (June) and the
Red Cross Murray MarathonThe Murray Marathon is a 404 km, 5 day canoe/kayak flatwater race on the Murray River. One of the longest annual flatwater canoe races in the world, it starts in Yarrawonga and heads downstream to Swan Hill between 27 December and 31 December each year...
(December). The Port is home to the largest
Paddle SteamerA paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a steam engine that uses one or more paddle wheels to develop thrust for propulsion. It is also a type of steamboat. Boats with paddle wheels on the sides are termed sidewheelers, while those with a single wheel on the stern are known as sternwheelers....
fleet in the world, which includes the world's oldest surviving wooden hulled paddle boat, the 1866 built PS
Adelaide. In 1984 a television mini-series,
All the Rivers RunAll The Rivers Run is a television miniseries in 1983 and 1989, starring Sigrid Thornton and John Waters. The miniseries is based on the Australian historical novel by Nancy Cato, first published in 1958. The film is marketed with the tagline A sweeping saga of one woman's struggle for survival...
, based on a novel by
Nancy CatoNancy Fotheringham Cato AM was an Australian writer who published more than twenty historical novels, biographies and volumes of poetry. Cato is also known for her work campaigning on environmental and conservation issues....
and starring
Sigrid Thornton-Early years:Thornton was born in Canberra, the daughter of Merle, a teacher of women's studies and writer, and Neil Thornton, an academic. She spent most of her formative years growing up and attending school at St. Peters Lutheran College in Brisbane. From 1966 until 1968 she lived in London with...
and
John WatersJohn Russell Waters is a film, theatre and television actor, best known in Australia, where he moved to in 1968. He has been in the industry for over 40 years....
, was filmed in and around Echuca. The local
Paddle SteamerA paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a steam engine that uses one or more paddle wheels to develop thrust for propulsion. It is also a type of steamboat. Boats with paddle wheels on the sides are termed sidewheelers, while those with a single wheel on the stern are known as sternwheelers....
PS
Pevensey, featured in the mini-series as the PS
Philadelphia, still operates from the port. The airing of this series around Australia and internationally revitalized Echuca's tourism economy.
Dairy, wheat, sheep, pigs and cattle farming are also important to the region. Echuca's local government is managed by the Shire of Campaspe.
Echuca's sister city is
Whitehorse, YukonWhitehorse is the capital of the Yukon, Canada. Whitehorse accounts for almost 3/4 of the territory's population and is the largest city in the three Canadian territories...
, Canada.
Transport
Echuca is connected over the Murray River to Moama by the Echuca-Moama Road Rail Bridge. This historically significant bridge has riveted iron spans supported on cast iron pillars. Echuca-Moama Transit runs 3 services hourly to Echuca East, South & the town of Moama. The terminus is the Old Echuca Post Office on Hare Street. At the moment they are testing a service to 24 Lane and streets on the way to the lane which are near the Rich River Golf Club
V/LineV/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Passenger Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
operates the
Echuca lineThe Echuca line is a country railway in Victoria, Australia. V/Line operates passenger services along the line.-History:...
rail service from
the local stationEchuca is a railway station on the Bendigo - Echuca - Deniliquin railway, located in the town of Echuca, Victoria, Australia. It is the terminus of the V/Line Echuca line passenger service, and is 249km from Southern Cross Station in Melbourne...
to Melbourne, via Bendigo.
Echuca AirportEchuca Airport is located at Echuca, Victoria, Australia....
is also located outside the town.
Newspaper
Echuca produces a newspaper called the
Riverine HeraldThe Riverine Herald publishes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for circulation throughout both the Campaspe and Murray shires. It is one newspaper among the McPherson Media Group.- Origins :...
which is made every Monday, Wednesday & Friday, it includes local & national news.
Radio
Echuca also has a local community radio station called EMFM which broadcasts on the frequency of 104.7FM. They currently broadcast at a power of 300 watts, but soon will be moving to 1kW when they receive their new antenna
Retailers
Echuca has many large retailers, including a
ColesColes Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers . It has over 740 stores nationally and more than 92,000 employees...
, Safeway Liqour and a
Mitre 10 Home & TradeMitre 10 is a retail and trade hardware store chain, with over 700 locations in all states of Australia as well as under 250 in New Zealand. The operations in Australia and New Zealand are two separate companies, each based on a co-operative system where the store owners are members of the...
.
Sport
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the
Goulburn Valley Football LeagueThe Goulburn Valley Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia....
and a team
Echuca UnitedEchuca United Football Netball Club is an Australian rules football club based in the northern Victorian city of Echuca.The club was formed in 1994 with the merger of the Echuca South and Echuca East Football Clubs and competed in the Northern and Echuca League until 1996...
competing in the
Murray Football LeagueThe Murray Football League is a Australian rules football league affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League.The league covers a large area of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales from Shepparton in the south to Deniliquin in the north....
.
Echuca has a horse racing club, the Echuca Racing Club, which schedules around eleven race meetings a year including the Echuca Cup meeting in March.
Echuca
Harness RacingHarness racing is a form of horse-racing in which the horses race in a specified gait. They usually pull two-wheeled carts called sulkies, although races to saddle are still occasionally conducted, especially in Europe....
Club conducts regular meetings at its racetrack in the town.
Golfers play at the Echuca Back Nine Golf Course on Eyre and McKenzie Streets.
Notable people
- In 1970, Echuca resident Leith Ratten
Leith Ratten is a convicted murderer from Echuca, Australia whose case ignited controversy and national interest in the 1970s. Leading lawyers were convinced of his innocence.- Background :...
was convicted of murdering his wife. His case became one of the most controversial in Victorian legal history.
- Model Travis Fimmel
Travis Fimmel is an Australian actor and former fashion model who currently resides in London, England.- Biography :...
is from the town.
- AFL footballer Andrew Walker
Andrew Walker may refer to:*Andrew Walker , Australian rules footballer with Carlton*Andrew Walker , Canadian...
(Carlton)
- AFL footballer Daniel Connors
Daniel Connors is an Australian rules footballer who was selected at number 58 overall in the 2006 AFL national draft by the Richmond Football Club...
(Richmond)
- AFL footballer Sam Sheldon
Sam Sheldon is an is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.-Early Life:Sam has Indigenous Australian heritage and his tribal ancestry can be traced to the Wemba-Wemba.-Draft:...
(Brisbane)
External links