Very grey day, with drizzle as we leave Melbourne towards the Murray River which forms a natural border between New South Wales and Victoria to our north.
150klm north, lies Bendigo, over the dividing range and the winter sunshine awaits which is very normal after the coastal clouds which are much more present in the south. Bendigo is Victoria’s third largest town of around 100,000.
Gold was found here in 1851, and it still retains many of its grand public buildings from the period.
The traditional owners of the land, (Dja Dja Wurrung) experienced a decline in population due to European settlers exploiting the rich local hunting grounds, and also introduced vast sheep runs.
- A lovely feature of Bendigo are its trams, beautiful gardens and parks, which include a colony of fruit bats, or flying foxes.
Arrived in Echuca, (pop 16,000) on the Murray River, Australia’s longest. The Yorta Yorta people were dispossessed by Europeans. Present day Echuca was founded by an enterprising ex convict named Henry Hopwood. As it was the shortest distance between Melbourne and the NSW border, it became a large inland port. Today some of the early paddle steamers still exist, although carrying passengers rather than wool, wheat, grains, timber and livestock. With the railways introduced to Echuca, it quickly became a hub for movement of goods to and from Melbourne.
A hot dry climate in summer, and warm sunny winters, make it a popular place to holiday with water activities, festivals, with a strong emphasis on tourism drawing on the golden era of steam, rail, and horse drawn coach travel.
Conjoined River Gum
