Port of Echuca celebrates 50 years of tourism excellence

Port chief executive Mark Francis said there were few tourist attractions in Victoria that had achieved the milestone, and acknowledged those who made it possible.

“When you look around the state, there’s not too many attractions that have been around for this long. So it’s a really important milestone for us,” he said.

“I’d also like to acknowledge ... those who had the vision to think about transforming this into a tourist attraction some 50 years ago, and look what we’ve now got. We’re very thankful and grateful for those custodians.”

The port has flourished since its inception, and in the past half a century it has grown into a major attraction for Echuca.

The beginnings of the port began in 1970 when a group of passionate community members put together a development plan before forming the port advisory committee in 1971.

In the three years that followed, the committee carried out restoration works on the port until 1974 when it officially opened as a tourist attraction.

Even after the official opening in 1974, the port continued to grow, with new buildings, the hiring of full-time paddle steamer staff and the restoration of the Bridge Hotel.

The PS Pevensey and PS Adelaide, once restored and returned to the river, also marked the beginning of the wharf’s tourism operations.

Neil Hutchinson, son of the port’s first full-time paddle steamer worker, Kevin Hutchinson, also spoke on the day about the port.

“To borrow the saying ‘from little things, big things grow’, it certainly does justice to Echuca and the port,” he said.

“By the 1980s [the port] was the pinnacle and the envy of all the other recreations like Sovereign Hill and the pioneer settlement.

“The Port of Echuca is now the paddle steamer capital of the world.”

The celebrations continued after the official ceremony and cake-cutting, with plenty for visitors to see, including Rob Dingey's Model Paddle Steamers, a Model Railway Club display, vintage machinery and traction engines and vintage cars and tractors.

Visitors could also see blacksmith and rope-making demonstrations or take a look through the Discovery Centre museum for a deeper look at the history of the port.

In the old woodturners’ building, local film footage from the 1970s regarding restoration of the port was screening throughout the day, too, for the history lovers.

A town crier and actors dressed in 19th century clothes were a crowd favourite on the day, as well as live music by Studio 31, James Hollands, Kane Vincent and Elise Drake.