7 Best Restaurants in Murray River Region, Victoria

Taste great craft beer and eat amazing pizza at this busy brewer, one of eight craft breweries of the High Country Brewery Trail. Tucked away down a little lane off the main street, the brewery is housed in an 1850s coach house built during the gold rush era. Choose a picnic table beneath the umbrellas and listen to a folk band while you share a quality pizza or burger made with local produce. Team it up with one of their award-winning beers: their signature brew is the Pale Ale, but they also play with everything from elderflower to chestnuts---the taproom has a rotating list of 20 house brews. The bar also serves gins, whiskeys and wines from the region. Great for families, there's a little playground, the kids' meals are vast, and service is fast and friendly. You can also pick up free Town Bikes here to explore the town and the Rail Trail. The brewery also runs regular tasting tours (A$15).

For a delicious breakfast on the go, this widely admired bakery's eggs Benedict wrap is a great start. For the rest of the day, hit the deli sandwich bar, order a Beechworth steak pie or the robust Ned Kelly pie, a meat pie topped with bacon, egg, and cheese. Vegan options include an Indian curry pie and glazed doughnuts. Gluten-, dairy- and nut-free options are also available. There are also outposts across country Victoria including Bendigo, Ballarat, and Bright.

Self-billed as Australia's Greatest Pie Shop, Parkers really are that good. Not just your average pie, here's your chance to try a kangaroo pie—with mushrooms and caramelized onion—or perhaps an emu or buffalo pie, when in stock. Otherwise, their classic steak pies all get top marks: try the Rutherglen Red, chunks of beef slowly cooked in a mushroom, bacon and red wine sauce. Vegetarians aren't forgotten, with a veg pie with sweet chili and cheese sauce.

A Rutherglen favorite for over 20 years, expect robust, flavorsome Aus-European dishes that include pâtes, terrines, confit duck, and hearty vegetarian tagines. Each menu item is matched with a local wine---a handy way to taste your way around the region, without having to drive. The brunch menu has a lavish way about itself, with truffled scrambled eggs, Bloody Marys and locally produced sparkling wines alongside coffee roasted in the High Country. Afterward, shop its range of bottled relishes, pickles, and Gooramadda olives for a gourmet picnic. Pickled Sisters also runs well-regarded cooking classes.

A bright restaurant and café, the real reason to pop in is Reed & Co's artisanal gin, The Remedy—employing such Australian botanicals as eucalyptus and pine—for a quality afternoon G&T or gin cocktail at its bar. The craft gin, created by two former chefs, is complemented by Koji Bird, barbecue chicken served with kimchi, pickles, and smoked mayo.

Coffee aficionados make a beeline for here for house-roasted coffee and sensational pastries: the café caters to early birds, opening at 7 am.

Load the brunch table with French toast, waffles, breakfast wraps, and a big fry at this too-cute weatherboard café on Echuca's main street. The café serves all plant-based foods, from its milky coffees to its sweet smoothie bowls and refined sugar-free slices. Fresh, cold-pressed juices, coffee and superfood peanut-butter lattes round out the drinks side of the menu, which is guided by principles of sustainability and veganism.