It doesn’t take much to convince me to head out of Melbourne, and hit the road for a cheeky getaway!
As you probably know, team Melbourne Girl are very big fans of a roadtrip, and even bigger fans of regional Victoria. So when I was invited to visit the newly opened Junction Moama restaurant, I’d packed my bags before I could even finish saying ‘Hells yes!’.
I like to tell myself I’ve seen quite a bit of Victoria by now, but am ashamed to admit I’ve never been to Echuca – it’s such an easy 2.5 hour drive north of Melbourne, and sits right on the border with NSW on the mighty Murray. You might have often heard Echuca called ‘Echuca Moama’, as the border town of ‘Moama’ sits right across the river – that’s where you’ll find Junction Moama.
Junction Moama opened its doors in December 2014, and is absolutely worth the drive to visit this space. Think sensational local food, wine, cocktails and craft beer, that highlights the amazing produce from the surrounding region – in one very chic space!
My husband and I enjoyed the 10 course degustation menu, which enabled us to sit back and relax, knowing we were in the capable hands of Chef Michael Giarrusso.
I would describe the food as Modern Australian, with a menu that’s influenced by the very best of Middle Eastern and Asian flavours.
It would be so hard to choose my favourite dishes from the night, but the sautéed cauliflower and the incredible rum and banana dessert were stand-outs for me. My husband absolutely love the Pork Belly (with crunchy, crispy crackling of course!)
You’ll probably be looking for a place to rest your head after you’ve had your fill at dinner, so I’d highly recommend the super-luxe glamping experience at Talo Retreat.
Roadtrip to Echuca Moama
Think Appelles amenities with your own private tent overlooking a serene billabong – the peace and quiet, and incredible sounds of frogs and birds were quite the contrast to my normal soundtrack of traffic and sirens at home!
We enjoyed breakfast the next morning at Black Pudding in Echuca – the covered courtyard overlooking the picturesque Campaspe River, along with incredible coffee was just the ticket for fuelling day 2 of our roadtrip.
After a quick read of the papers inside our Yurt, we headed back to the historic Echuca Pier to take our Paddlesteamer ride.
I really felt like I’d stepped back inside as we boarded our 1920s era Paddlesteamer!
After a scenic cruise on the Murray (don’t forget your jackets – that wind can be cold!), we sadly headed back to our car for the drive back to Melbourne.
I absolutely loved my quick getaway to Echuca and Moama, and couldn’t recommend it more for those weekends when you just want to get out of the city, but still need amazing food and coffee!
Juli ackland
Loved Echuca/ Moama – the Junction is still the fine dining establishment. Thanks for the tip. That cauliflower dish is still a standout, but it’s 5 or 7 courses. Just amazing food. For the river, have breakfast or lunch on the MV Mary Ann and then a trip on the more trad paddle steamer. And finally the Discovery centre is really interesting with loads of info on easy Echuca and it’s 70 pubs. Download the teachers guide from their site.
Emily Collie
Thanks for the tips Juli – will check them out 🙂