3 Best Sights in Murray River Region, Victoria

So much more than just a honey shop, Beechworth Honey is a leading producer of pure honey, including single varietal honeys, a working beehive, and a little educational tour great for kids. Shop its raw and pure honey varieties, made from 100% natural, locally produced honey. Peruse the great-smelling honey- and beeswax-based skin care and the high-quality, locally made handcrafts, which make great gifts. The group's Bee Cause project contributes 1% of all global sales revenue toward supporting bees and their environment.

Established by Reginald Langdon Buller in 1921, this Rutherglen winery produces delicious fortified wines and gutsy, full-bodied reds, the flagship being its Shiraz. As the old Shiraz vines are not irrigated, the annual yields are low, but the fruit produced has intense flavor, which winemaker Dave Whyte crafts into wines of great depth and elegance. Tastings and sales are at the cellar door, free, or pay A$15 for tastings of four of its Muscat or Topaque, from 4, 10, 25, and 50 years old!  Treat yourself to a grazing platter and Rare Muscat straight from the barrel (A$35) or the Three Chain Road gins, distilled here (A$25). The winery is also home to its on-site restaurant, Pavilion, overlooking the vineyards.

The inland river port of Echuca is a heritage town, home to a large paddle steamer fleet and its historic wharf. Among the vessels docked at the wharf is the PS Adelaide (built in 1866), the world's oldest operating wooden-hulled paddle steamer. Other historic buildings include the Bridge Hotel, built by ex-convict Henry Hopwood and the "father of Echuca," who had the foresight to establish a punt, and then to build a bridge at this commercially strategic point on the river. The Star Hotel, built in the 1860s, has an underground bar and escape tunnel, which was used by after-hours drinkers in the 19th century to evade the police. The Port of Echuca Discovery Centre is now open and full of historical displays. It's also a booking office, where you can get tickets to paddle steamer cruises and other historic sights, plus a spooky Port After Dark tour (A$15). The center itself runs daily tours (A$12.50) covering its displays and the recently revitalized wharf areas (warehouses, old railroad tracks, and riverboats included), and the Star Hotel.

One-hour river excursions are a refreshing treat at the end of a hot summer's day. Step aboard the Adelaide, the historic Pevensey, or the Alexander Arbuthnot for a one-hour cruise. Book tickets at the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre.

Otherwise, Murray River Paddle Steamers runs hour-long excursions on the PS Canberra, and the Emmylou, a 19th-century-style boat built in 1980–82 for a historic television series, does overnight and multiday cruises from two to six night.  A one-hour cruise on the PS Canberra costs A$30.