Echuca Heritage Walk
Welcome to historic Echuca. Enjoy your stroll around the buildings and reading the plaques using this self guided tour. As you wander let your mind drift back to experience the thriving era of Echuca when steam ruled the river and rail.
During the 1850s only the fledgling business empire created by Henry Hopwood, Echuca's founder, existed around Little Hopwood Street, the hub of early Echuca. At that time Hopwood's punts and pontoon bridge were the only means of crossing the Murray and Campaspe Rivers.
The 1870s were the peak years of the steamer trade at Echuca. Wool was the lifeblood of the port, and the wharf became a place of bustle and activity, with the constant arrival and departure of steamers during the 'season', when the river was high enough to allow them to travel. Forwarding agents were at their wits' end trying to find a place to store wool while waiting for rail trucks to take it to Melbourne and this led to several wharf extensions. By 1900 competition from railways had killed the river trade.
From the 1860s the town centre was concentrated in the vicinity of the wharf in High Street and the northern end of Hare Street. By the mid-1870s increasing wharf activity created a spirit of optimism and at that time many single-storey shops erected ten years earlier were replaced by the impressive two-storey brick buildings seen in High Street today. The opening of the Iron Bridge in 1878 and the decline of the river trade led to consolidation of Echuca's commercial centre in Hare Street. Shops gradually moved south towards the railway station, which by then was a busy transport terminal. This trend continued until the 1960s when the transfer of more shops to Hare Street led to the near-demise of old High Street.
The area became run-down and neglected and it was not until the re-creation of the old Port of Echuca, opened in 1974, that rejuvenation began. Echuca was 'put on the map' by the filming of "All the Rivers Run" early in the 1980s. Shopowners restored their buildings and increased visitor numbers led to revitalisation. The movement of commerce away to Hare Street and southwards has left old High Street undisturbed, evoking memories of the 19th Century, when Echuca was Australia's leading inland port.
Echuca Heritage Walk Map
1 SITE OF BAPTIST CHURCH, CHINESE SOCIETY, HORNE'S GARAGE
479 High Street
A Baptist church stood here from 1891 until its removal in 1914. In 1925 E.W. Horne moved his business into a new building on the site and trading as 'Burbury Horne & Co.' motor garage and car dealership here until 1994. The first RACV road service spot in Echuca was established at Horne's garage in 1932 and the first Ambulance driven and maintained voluntarily by Edgar Horne from the mid-1930s.
In 1919 the Chinese Masonic Society bought the premises adjoining Horne's (later) garage and for 30 years this was the social and 'transit' centre for Echuca's Chinese population. In the 1950s Horne's purchased the building and also the site of the former Ballarat Bank, then a car yard. McDonald's Restaurant opened here in 1995.
2 SITE OF MOORE'S TIMBER YARD
465 High Street
Walter W. Moore established a timber yard on this site in 1866. A Londoner, he came to Australia in 1855 and settled at Echuca three years later. He built a maze of trade workshops here and soon became the leading district builder. By 1890 he had three impressive shops on the High Street frontage.
Moore was regarded as 'one of the foremost public men in Echuca' and held many positions, including president of the Eight Hours Association. After his death in 1908, his sons carried on the business until 1921, when J.E Shaw bought the timber yard and ironmongery and J.M. Wells & Sons the joinery. Wells sold out in 1978, after 58 years. The Port of Echuca Motor Inn opened in 1986.
3 MOORE'S OFFICE AND DWELLING
463 High Street
This building was erected in 1866, the year W.W. Moore established his timber yard. Moore was already the town's undertaker and built a small brick morgue in his yard. His former office continued its association with funerals until the early 1920s, when Gus Satie, the firm's undertaker from 1897 (and later Shaw's yardman) used it as a house. In the next decade other funeral directors followed, including J.W. Vevers for over 30 years from 1938 and Bromley & Roberts, who re-located in 1982. It was used as a house until the Savarin restaurant era from 1985 to 1992, then refurbished to become the motel manager's residence. The old morgue was demolished with other buildings , in the mid 1980s.
4 GENERAL STORE, BUTTER FACTORY
433 High Street
This 'brick store' was erected in 1877 by Michael Broderick who ran it as a general store until his death in 1890. It adjoined a 'wood house' already on site, replaced by a second brick building in 1878 and was a grocery, then a butcher's shop, until 1901. In 1904 the brothers A. & C. Sims of Pine Grove established the Echuca Butter Factory in the building. It could make one ton of butter per day. Competition from another butter factory led to its failure and by 1912 one brother, Albert, was reduced to running a grocery here. The building became a Returned Soldiers' clubroom in 1918 and was used as a residence from 1925 until 1970, when it reverted to commercial use.
5 ECHUCA WATER TOWER
Cnr High & Pakenham Streets
Two squat brick water towers, each topped by an iron tank, were built here in 1867 to provide Echuca with a reticulated supply. They stood close together next to an engine house which pumped water from the Murray River at the southern end of the steamer turning basin. The towers were demolished with difficulty in 1950, to make way for the new municipal building erected north of the site in 1952.
6 FIRST NO. 208 STATE SCHOOL, ECHUCA
The Minister of Public Instruction, the Hon. Angus Mackay, part owner of the Riverine Herald, opened the first part of the building on 21 October 1874. The building was found to be inadequate and in 1877 the school was enlarged to cater for 632 pupils despite having 1339 pupils enrolled. C.W. Hartshorn, principal held the position from 1870-1890. In 1890 fire destroyed most of the High Street frontage. It was partially rebuilt but major reconstruction was not carried out until 1915. The last classes were held in March 1995, before the school relocated to a new building in High Street. The Echuca Community Education Group, now Campaspe College of Adult Education bought and renovated the building. The official opening was in September 1996.
7 ST. ANDREW'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Cnr Pakenham & Hare Streets
The first services were held in this church on 18 August 1901, conducted by longtime minister, Rev. J.C. Johnstone. The site was part of a Market Reserve bought from the Government for 100 pounds in 1899. Unique features of this Edwardian Gothic Revival church include a sloping floor to accommodate a room underneath and a flight of slate steps leading to the nave, adding prominence to the building, also glazed tiling and stepped gables. A.E. Castles was the architect. In 1963 a new enlarged hall was built on the south side of the church, replacing a small 1940 building. A link was provided between the church and remodelled hall and new buildings were added on the Pakenham Street frontage in 2000.
7A SUTTONS BAKERY
216 Hare Street
On 6th June 1849 George Sutton, a baker aged 18 arrived in Australia from Gloucestershire England on the ship British Empire. By 1854 he was baking bread in a slab store close to Hopwood's punt site now Hopwood Gardens. In 1863 Henry Hopwwod purchased Allot 3 Section 13 in Hare Street for George at a cost of 70 pounds. A single story brick bakery/dwelling 'Sutton's Bakery' opened on this site in 1864.
After George's death in 1870 his wife Elizabeth built three more brick shops on this site and continued over the next 29 years to expand the business. Five successive generations of the Sutton family became bakers and continued to operate the bakery until 1997. The original baker's oven from 1864 is still visible inside the bakery. The buildings are still held by the family in 2017.
8 FORMER ECHUCA POST OFFICE
252 Hare Street
The Echuca Post Office opened here on 19 February 1879, after moving from its former site north of present Hopwood Gardens. The building replaced Echuca's first national school and originally housed the Post Office, postmaster's residence and two Government Departments. It cost 12,000 pounds. In 1908 an arched doorway was cut in the outer wall to improve entry - reversed in 1944, when the wall was bricked up and a door placed at either end.
A major change in both ownership and usage occurred in 2001, when Australia Post decided to sell the Post Office. R. J. & C. J. Campbell bought the building and began its transformation, first creating retail premises then restoring and extending the former postmaster's residence, (including atrium), forming luxury apartments and restoring the striking clock.
9 FORMER ECHUCA TELEPHONE EXCHANGE
254 Hare Street
The Sub Treasury occupied the northern wing of this building, with the Postmaster's residence in the southern wing. The post office was centred on the ground floor, with the Survey Office above it. Joseph Bros. of Melbourne made the clock, which has an uncommon mechanism, the same as London's Big Ben. J. Horwood cast the hour striking bell in his Echuca foundry - said to be 'the largest cast in the colony'. The first telephone line, between the hospital and a local doctor, was connected in 1897. The first exchange began operating in 1900 - a day service with 15 subscribers, soon extended to night service when another 19 people signed up. The exchange, housed on the first floor, ceased to operate in 1975 when the system became automatic.
10 FORMER WESLEY CHURCH
Site of first building erected for public worship in Echuca - a modest brick chapel built in 1864. Echuca's founder, Henry Hopwood, laid the foundation stone and named the building 'Echuca Wesleyan Church'. A new building opened in 1869 replaced the run-down chapel and in 1875 a transept and porch were added.
From 1977 Wesley operated under the Uniting Church banner, but rationalisation of buildings led to its closure and the last service was held here in December 1993. The Roman Catholic Trusts Corporation bought the building in 1996, and it later became classrooms for St. Mary's School. The church was saved from demolition in 1998 by community action, which recognised its heritage value and significant role in Echuca's history.
11 DR CROSSEN'S SURGERY
47-49 Heygarth Street
Dr. Henry Crossen, an Irishman, erected this unusual Italianate residence in 1876, after having practised as a surgeon in the town since 1863. It was designed by the noted Bendigo architect, W.C. Vahland. The verandah and balcony were added in 1897 by Dr. G. Eakins, Crossen's successor, during whose term the building also became a Lying-in Hospital.
From 1876 the premises were used continuously as a doctor's surgery, except for a period during World War II, when it became a boarding house while the owner, Dr. D. Brown, was at the war. Drs. J. Jones and C. Moysey joined Dr. Brown in 1953 and remained in practice here until the building was sold in 1999.
12 493 HIGH STREET
This area was inundated when the Campaspe River overtopped its banks in 1870, the worst flood in Echuca's history. In 1871 a 'slab house' which formerly stood here was replaced by three wooden cottages. One facing High Street became a shop from which W. Cocks, carpenter and undertaker, operated a timber yard between 1875 and 1901. A galvanised iron garage and workshop was erected on this corner in 1915. In 1922 J. Jensen, owner of the nearby Commercial Hotel, converted the buildings into an auction mart, which after being destroyed by fire, was rebuilt in 1932 and operated on the Heygarth Street frontage until the 1950s. The Echuca Steam Laundry started here about 1947, later expanding into the adjoining premises and relocating elsewhere in 1998 after 51 years.
13 495 - 497 HIGH STREET
In 1868 a 'slab house' owned by Thos. Mitchell occupied the land on which this and the corner shop now stand. This and the adjoining buildings have a common history, both being bought by successive owners. From 1875 this site was part of a timber yard, reverting to vacant land after the 1906 flood.
It was not until 1924 that J. Jenson, owner of the adjoining Commercial Hotel, constructed a new building here. He opened a billiard room in the back section, reached via a short corridor, and a watchmaker and a barber's shop facing High Street. The premises burned down and was rebuilt in 1932. The Echuca Steam Laundry replaced the billiard room around 1958 and both shops were remodelled in 1998.
14 COMMERCIAL HOTEL
499 High Street
George Redman, a former station hand, built the Commercial Hotel in 1862 and before long it became a stop for Cobb & Co. coaches en route to Bendigo. Wm. Martin and family were owners between 1874 and 1921, followed by J. J. Jensen until 1935. He added the balcony.
From 1962 until 1971, when the licence was revoked, it was known as the 'Southern Cross Hotel.' In late 1971 the YMCA bought the building for youth accommodation and it began a new life as 'Southern Cross Lodge' with bunk-style beds in 19 rooms. This business continued until 1994, when part of the upper floor became a residence and a bridal shop opened on the ground floor. In 1997 the first of several restaurants opened next door.
15 FORMER ECHUCA TOWN HALL
Library, High Street
Built in 1868 as combined Council Chambers and Court House. Vahland and Getzschmann of Bendigo were the architects and James Mackintosh the builder. First Council meeting held here 19 March 1869. Used as Police Court between 1869 and 1924. First High School classes held 1912. Became Municipal Library in 1954.
16 SITE OF ECHUCA WATER TOWERS
Cnr Hare & Heygarth Streets
17 FORMER VICTORIAN RAILWAYS ENGINE HOUSE
Tourist Information Centre, Off Heygarth Street
18 MURRAY HOTEL
9-11 Murray Esplanade
This building, erected in 1879, occupied the site of an earlier hotel and in its day was a lively place. From about 1887 the licensee of the Murray Hotel - who provided 'pianistes', 'high kickers' and honky tonk music - almost certainly ran the nearby brothel. The hotel was delicensed in 1897. The Freeman family, whose foundry was next door, used the building as a residence for many years, with an office on part of the ground floor.
19 SITE OF HOPWOOD'S STORE LATER FREEMAN'S FOUNDRY
13-17 Murray Esplanade
Henry Hopwood's iron store, erected on this site in 1855, was one of Echuca's first buildings. It extended 60 feet along Murray Esplanade and faced the small street now known as Little Hopwood Street, the focus of early Echuca. Made from pre fabricated imported iron, the store had a distinctive curved roof and was used during the 1850's as auction rooms and from 1866 as a ship's chandlery. It was removed about 1900.
In 1897 Freeman & Olsen established their Border Engineering & Bicycle Works, (later 'Freeman's Foundry') here, mainly to service the river trade. The present building was erected in 1952 and remained in use as a foundry until 1979.
20 BROTHEL
Little Hopwood Street
John Weaver, builder, erected this unique building of six small rooms as a brothel in 1869. Ten years later it became part of a 13-roomed boarding house, also built by Weaver, fronting Little Hopwood Street and run by Mrs. E. Every under the name 'Australian Restaurant.' This timber building burnt in 1887 but the two storey brick building behind it survived. From 1887 - 1897 it was almost certainly run as a brothel by the licensee of the nearby Murray Hotel, who admitted to employing 'high kickers' such as 'Flocker Liz' and who in 1897 lost her licence for 'immorality'.
Freeman's Foundry and agricultural machinery business operated next door and used the building as storage from 1911 until relocating in 1979.
21 SITE OF HOPWOOD'S NEW ROAD INN
19 Murray Esplanade
In 1853 Henry Hopwood, founder of Echuca, built the New Road Inn and stables on this site. By 1865 the slab inn was known as`Hopwood's Old House. It was replaced in 1869 by the Criterion Hotel, built out to the street, and the premises were first licensed under that name in 1872. The Echuca Club, formed in 1897, bought the Criterion in 1900 and two years later demolished the front section of the old hotel. This Echuca Club building was opened in 1903.
22 DOCK & SITE OF WHARF EXTENSIONS
Port Carpark
23 STEAM PACKET HOTEL
A single storey hotel named the Steam Packet was built here by Thos. Mitchell in 1864 which was licensed in January 1865. It was destroyed by fire in 1879 and within three months was replaced by this two storey brick building. In 1898 the name was changed to the 'Federal Club Hotel' probably because there were few steam boats left on the river and Federation was in the air. The hotel's license was revoked in 1910 and the premises became the Working Men's Clubrooms until 1921. Alterations, including the present rough cast face work, were undertaken in 1922. The building was used as a residence until 1976, when it was remodelled and became a motel. A former bakery fronting High Street became the alternative entry.
24 ECHUCA WHARF
Murray Esplanade
Built near the site of Clough's wharf by the Victorian Railways in 1865-67. Construction followed the opening of the railway to Echuca in 1864. The surviving structure consists of 17 bays of original wharf, which extended further north and south and included separate shed for bonded goods and platform for use by carriers transferring freight between road and river. The wharf remained busy throughout the nineteenth century but declining traffic led to its partial demolition and removal of goods shed during the post war period.
25 CUSTOMS HOUSE
2 Leslie Street
This building was erected in 1884 at cost of 825 pounds by the Victorian Department of Public Works, for the collection of Customs duties payable on goods being transferred across the intercolonial border. The Customs House was closed in 1910 and was used by the Victorian Railways. It was sold by the Commonwealth to sawmiller R. J. Evans in 1930. F. J. Lockwood opened an accountancy office here in 1924 and used the building as a combined office and residence until 1954. The building remained residential until 1984.
26 SHACKELL'S BOND STORE
41 Murray Esplanade
This is one of the Port's finest early buildings, understood to have been built in the late 1850's for Morgan & Mackintosh, Melbourne-based importers. Known originally as the Hall of Commerce, James Shackell bought the building in 1865 and his company used it as a bonded warehouse. When extensions were made at the river end in 1866, Wm. McCulloch & Company took it over as a bonded warehouse, offices and 'free' stores. They were followed by Permewan Wright& Co., Murray Steamship Co., and finally by the owners, Shackell, White & Co. commission agents.
27 STAR HOTEL
45 Murray Esplanade
From as early as 1863 James Shackell, owner of the Hall of Commerce, (later Bond Store) lived in a wooden cottage on this site. In 1867 he replaced the building with new premises known as the Star Hotel, which included 'The Shades' underground bar. Mrs Jane Pygall became owner in 1890 and changed the name to 'Esplanade Hotel'. It was delicensed in 1897 and used as a residence for many years.
28 51 MURRAY ESPLANADE
Victorian Residence now Wistaria Tea Rooms
This Victorian residence was built in 1894 on part of an original Crown grant made in 1855 to William Taylor, a cousin of Henry Hopwood. Taylor, a carpenter, lived in a slab but on the site before the land was surveyed. He was employed by Hopwood to help build his punt used for transporting stock and produce across the Murray River and by 1868 owned three wooden cottages on the Esplanade.
In 1892 the block was subdivided and J.A.Brown, blacksmith, purchased the section on which he built this house in 1894. J. S. Telley, carrier, became the owner in 1917 and lived here for almost 60 years. In 1975 the (then) City of Echuca purchased the house to protect the heritage character and integrity of the port precinct, and it became the Wistaria Tea Rooms in 1982.
29 SALT WORKS
Murray Esplanade
In 1875 the Kunat Kunat Salt Company was formed to extract salt from a lake of that name near Swan Hill. John Lewis of Moama bought the site in 1887and in 1895 erected this large galvanised iron shed, running the full width of the block. He set up a salt works, packaging and despatching salt via the railway that served the wharf. In 1905 J.W. Lane, a blacksmith, set up in the building and was succeeded in 1910 by J. M. Campbell, coachbuilder, who operated a 'Carriage Works' for five years. Other blacksmiths followed. J. Lewis, 'salt merchant' died in 1918 and in 1927 Ernest Lewis sold the building to R. J. Evans who used the shed in his mill operations until the 1980's.
30 SITE OF ST. GEORGE'S HALL
Murray Esplanade
31 SITE OF EVANS BROS. SAWMILL
Murray Esplanade
32 SITE OF ECHUCA MORGUE
River Bank, Murray Esplanade
Henry Hopwood built a tollhouse here and charged for the conveyance of stock and passengers across the Murray River on his punt and pontoon bridge. The toll house was occupied for a period by Captain W. J. Davies, who managed the punt and owned a fleet of paddlesteamers which he subsequently sold to Permewan Wright & Co. The opening of the Murray Bridge in 1879 led to the closure of Hopwood's punt and bridge and the building was later used as a morgue until the 1930's.
33 HOPWOOD GARDENS
Cnr High Street & Hopwood Place
This historic square was located in a direct line between Henry Hopwood's two river crossings. From the mid-1850's his punt and pontoon bridge below the Bridge Hotel carried traffic over the Murray, while only a short distance away he ran another punt over the Campaspe River, replaced by a toll bridge in 1857. Hopwood thus had a monopoly on all routes in and out of Echuca and charged a toll for every person or head of stock using his crossings. Wagons and stock were lined up in the square while waiting to cross the Murray en route to the Riverina.
34 BRIDGE HOTEL
1 Hopwood Place
'As this is already known to be the best hotel outside Melbourne, further comment is unnecessary' wrote the owner Henry Hopwood, following construction of the Bridge Hotel in 1858. Licensed early the following year, it was built to capture the passing trade of those using his nearby pontoon bridge and punt to cross the Murray. The hotel was delicensed in 1915, in response to the long-term decline in the river trade and was a residence when purchased in 1936 by Evans Bros., who used part as an office for their sawmill across the road.
35 FORMER POLICE STATION NOW HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
Cnr Warren & Dickson Streets
36 7-11 WARREN STREET
Chanter & McKenzie, stock and station agents, opened saleyards on this site in 1887. In 1905 the firm became McKenzie & Co. and went on to build an empire here. By 1918 their yards occupied one acre. In the early 1920s cattle yards and a covered selling ring existed on this site, complete with auctioneer's box and wooden seating. Up to 1000 sheep and 50-100 cattle were sold at weekly markets and separate pig and horse sales were held monthly. The yards were moved in 1941. In 1976 J.& L. Norwood erected this building to house Alambee Auto & Folk Museum. From 1990 it became a market, then re-opened as the Holden Museum in 1993.
37 SALEYARDS HOTEL
17 Warren Street
Echuca was established as a river crossing point for stock. This hotel, built by J.H. Coates in 1876, was named for its proximity to two saleyards - Shackell's across the road and Chanter & McKenzie's next door. The area remained the town's main stock selling centre for more than 60 years until about 1941, when Younghusband's, McKenzie's & Co.'s successor moved elsewhere.
After her husband died in 1878, Mary Ann Coates ran the hotel for 30 years, followed by J.M. Chanter, MP. who owned it into the 1920s. The hotel was delicensed in 1969. As a youth hostel and steak house from 1979, it was re-named the Cock 'n' Bull and a restaurant of that name was opened in 1983.
38 HOPWOOD'S CAMPASPE CROSSING
Henry Hopwood, Echuca's founder, installed a wooden toll bridge at this site to replace his punt across the Campaspe, tested by 240 soldiers marching across it many times.
In 1854 Hopwood put in a toll punt across the Murray a short distance east of here and after crossing the Campaspe, wagons and stock often had to wait in a grassy square, (now the Hopwood Gardens) to gain access to his Murray punt or pontoon bridge installed in 1857. The opening of this bridge in 1858 gave him a monopoly over all the river crossings at Echuca.
39 THOMAS LAWRENCE
In the 1840s Thomas Lawrence, a native of Limerick, Ireland, was employed by different pastoralists in the Loddon-Serpentine area. By 1851 he was a shepherd at Torrumbarry Station outside Echuca.
In 1853 Hopwood engaged Lawrence to help build his first inn and, after moving to Echuca, the Lawrence family lived on this block in a 'substantial but roofed over with bark'.
Later other family houses were built on the land and by the 1860s there were several shops on the High Street frontage including Noble's 'smithy' on the corner of this lane, then known as 'Little High Street'.
40 THOMAS MITCHELL
Thos. Mitchell was an Irishman with pastoral interests around Moulamein. He later became a Moama carrier and at the first Echuca land sale in 1855 outbid Hopwood for several blocks, thus challenging the later's right to rule the town.
Mitchell built a butcher's shop at the corner of High and Leslie Streets and in 1838 converted it into a makeshift hotel.
He was refused a license, so erected a better building next door. This became the first 'Echuca Hotel'. It was burnt down in 1874 and replaced by the present Echuca Hotel, upgraded over the years.
41 FIRST CROSSING OVER CAMPASPE RIVER
Look for plaque on tree stump in Leslie Street.
It was here in 1853 that Henry Hopwood, founder of Echuca, put the town's first punt across the Campaspe, securing it by a cable around this tree.
The Murray and Campaspe Rivers being so close at this point, Hopwood's next move was to put a punt across the Murray a short distance away at the eastern end of this street, so that the stock and wagons naturally flowed from one punt to the other. This was the start of Hopwood's monopoly over Echuca's river crossings.
Marungal Bend was the name given to this part of the river, from the aboriginal word meaning "where eagles nest".
42 FLOOD EROSION
43 HOPWOOD'S "GARDENS"
In the 1850s Hopwood established a market garden here at 525 High Street, at the Campaspe end of a fence he had built running diagonally between the garden and his New Road Inn beside the Murray, east of the track that later became High Street. Here he produced fresh produce for the table at his early inn.
In the 1860s Hopwood had another 'garden' a block further north cultivated by a Chinaman named `Georgy'. The Bank of New South Wales was built on the High Street frontage in 1877. This garden probably supplied Hopwood's Bridge Hotel, opened in 1859.
44 525/525A HIGH STREET
G.H.Kendall, photographer, was the original owner of this land, on which R.W. Fairthorne, chemist, erected a 'commodious building' in 1878. It was used continuously as a chemist's shop for some 40 years. Following Fairthorne's untimely death in 1893 his wife, Susan, a qualified chemist, carried on the business. In 1906 she sold to chemist F.H. Gough, who remained until 1922. The building was then used as a boarding house run in conjunction with No. 527 next door and the fortunes of the two became linked. From 1928 it was used as a residence/office by successive owners of No.527. In 1988 Dr. A.G. Parsons established a dental surgery here and soon afterwards reinstated the verandah and altered the shopfront.
45 527-529 HIGH STREET
Henry Hopwood, founder of Echuca, bought this land in 1855. His son-in-law James McCulloch inherited the property and in 1878 built two 'wood shops', adding another in 1880. Early tenants included a milliner, barber and tentmaker. By 1898 Kwong Yen Lee, fruiterer and laundryman, and his neighbour, E.L. Grimwood, printer, each had a dwelling attached to his shop. The motor industry era began here in 1924 when Rose Harvey, Echuca business woman bought several shops and converted them into a garage. This was run by her son, trading as 'George Harvey Motors', until 1965. He was succeeded by two electric automotive businesses; Des O'Reilly, then Riverlec. Following re-development, a restaurant opened here in 1995.
46 531 HIGH STREET
Dalton's Printery
This rare surviving row of brick shops with timber fronts, Nos. 531-535 High Street, was built in 1878 by Jas. McCulloch, Henry Hopwood's son-in-law. In 1898 a long residential wing was added behind each of the shopfronts at 531. The existing northern wing was shared with No. 533 and the southern wing demolished during the 1970's.
In the early years both shops comprising No. 531 had many tenants until 1937, when they were bought by a dry cleaner and became occupied by one business. About 1970 Des O'Reilly, automotive engineer, bought the buildings and ran a workshop in the northern shop, his family then occupying both residential wings. The RSPCA was the tenant during the 90's. The shopfronts were restored in 2001.
47 533 HIGH STREET
Dalton's Printery
In 1871 Jas. McCulloch built a wood shop here for W Longley, tailor. In 1878 it was replaced by a brick shop tenanted by dressmakers for some 15 years. E. L. Grimwood Senior owned the row of shops from 1904-1930. No. 533 had many different occupants until 1922 when T. A. Brown, printer, became the tenant. In 1937 he bought the premises and used the shop to store paper supplies.
By 1947 Bill and Tom Dalton owned the printery and Tom lived in the house behind this shop from 1965-1999. Entry to the Dalton's house - and others in the row was through the shop itself, with access to each room via the one preceding it. A courtyard separated each residence.
48 535 HIGH STREET
Dalton's Printery
As early as 1865 Henry Hopwood built a 'wood' shop here, for J. Goodwin, fruiterer. In 1878 Jas. McCulloch replaced it with a large brick shop, first occupied by Charles Lenne, nurseryman and vigneron, who excavated a cellar for his wines, remaining until 1893.
E. L. Grimwood Jnr. opened a printery here in 1900, run by T. A. Brown from 1922-1946. Brothers W. & T. Dalton bought the business in 1947 and Tom carried on alone after Bill's death. In 1982 he decided to close the business, because his old-style printing presses and wooden type made it impossible to compete with modern technology. These artefacts are now owned by the National Museum, Canberra. S. R. Gale ran a leadlight and glazing business here from 1986-1997.
49 537 HIGH STREET
In 1871 a two-roomed office was built on this site, part of Hopwood's 1855 land purchase. James McCulloch, Hopwood's son-in-law, owned the property from 1873 to 1904 and leased it as an office. In 1891 insurance agent Jas. Dawborn took over and remained here for more than a decade. James Lawrence, bootmaker, a member of Echuca's earliest families, bought the building in 1904 and enlarged it to four rooms. He conducted business in the shop and lived on the premises until 1912, after which it was used as a residence. The old building was demolished in the 1960s and was replaced by this shop, built in 1985 by R. Roberts as premises for his wife's business 'Heather's Antiques'.
59 COLONIAL BANK
539 High Street
The Colonial Bank of Australasia opened its Echuca branch in temporary premises in 1874 and transferred business to this two-storey Italianate building in 1876. The balcony was added in the 1920s. The National Bank, which opened its first branch in Echuca, renewed its association with the town in 1918 by taking over the Colonial Bank and thereby becoming owner of this building. The original branch opened in Nov. 1858 - during the Hopwood era - and closed early in 1860. In 1956 the National Bank moved to new premises in Hare Street and in 1966 sold the building to solicitor C. Kinnane who conducted business in the former banking chamber and lived upstairs, as did his successors, R. & H. Roberts, sellers of antiques until 1997.
51 HOPWOOD'S STORE
541 High Street
By 1858 Henry Hopwood, founder of Echuca, had erected a 'large brick store' here. From 1863-1873 Hogarth, Dewar and the Homan ran the 'Riverine Depot', which included drapery, millinery, wine, spirits and provisions. The building was the office of J.S. Kelly & Co., commission agents from 1881-1900. This and the former Survey Office next door were run together as a boarding house between 1908 and 1920. During the 1930s longtime owner Mrs. B. Bellett lived upstairs and ran the Millewa Cafe in the shop below. In the 1960s Mrs. Murphy developed the garden and this - together with chandeliers in the shop - provided a charming setting for her antiques business. Architect Ged Brandrick bought the building in 1991.
52 DISTRICT SURVEY OFFICE
543 High Street
The original building on this site was occupied by the Bank of Victoria in July 1863 but by December that year George Langford, District Surveyor for the Victorian Government had taken over the premises. He not only administered the Land Acts and 'laid out' parts of the town but was also police magistrate and coroner. The Survey Office moved to Echuca Post Office after it was opened in 1878.
The building was used as an office for solicitor F. Atkyns from 1897-1906, then as part of a boarding house until 1920. From the 1930s Mary Dickson, dressmaker, and her family lived here for 50 years. After demolition early in 1999 the facade was faithfully reconstructed, work being completed later that year.
53 BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES
545-547 High Street
The Bank of New South Wales transferred its Echuca Branch to this splendid Italianate building in 1877, reported as forming 'a most commanding ornament to the main street of the town'. It backed on to the Campaspe River and in the 1860s Georgy, a Chinaman, worked it as a market garden for owner Henry Hopwood, founder of Echuca.
In December 1862 the Bank of New South Wales opened in a rented premises two doors further north. The branch transferred here in 1877 and operated until 1965, when it moved to Hare Street and later became 'Westpac'. The Loyal Orange Lodge owned the building from 1980-1993. In recent years it has been a residence, with the former banking chamber leased by a hairdresser since 1993.
54 549 HIGH STREET
There were two narrow shops on this land in 1875, erected by W.W. Moore, owner and master builder. They were later demolished and in 1891 F. Smithers, piano tuner, erected this 'wood house'. Mrs M. Murray and her daughter, Elsie Murray, successful Ladies' Outfitter further south in High Street, owned this cottage for 30 years from 1923.
T.L. Scott, plumber, came to Echuca in 1914 and for years operated a plumbing business and tank factory in several different nearby locations. In 1934 Scott moved into this cottage, which he bought 20 years later. A family member lived here until it was sold in 1995.
55 EARLY BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES
551 High Street
On 15 December 1862 the Bank of New South Wales one of Echuca's two earliest permanent banks opened in these premises, leased from W.W. Moore, timber merchant. One half of the building was the banking chamber and the other the manager's residence. Both became offices after the bank moved to its new building in 1877.
Between 1890 and 1900 the Victorian Savings Bank Commissioners operated a branch here. From 1915 until 1962, F.C. Mueller, solicitor, followed by son Carl Mueller, accountant, used the former banking chamber as an office, renting out the dwelling section. C.P. Healey & Sons took over the RACV road service in 1957 and after buying the building c.1980, later made it the RACV office.
56 559 HIGH STREET
57 ECHUCA HOTEL
571 High Street
This building was erected in 1874 by Thomas Mitchell, one of Echuca's first residents. It replaced an earlier building which became the Echuca Hotel after Mitchell enlarged his butcher's shop and obtained a licence. His motive was to provide opposition to the grand Bridge Hotel then being built by his rival, Henry Hopwood. Mitchell's hotel opened in September 1858, six months before the Bridge Hotel.
Giles bought the building from Mitchell in 1874, enlarged it and added a second storey. In 1885 it was bought by George Doran. James R. Ryan and family were proprietors for 50 years from 1895-1945. In 1963 Mrs 0. Edgar sold to the McDonald /Waters family, followed by M. Lunt and R. Moore in 1985.
58 SHAMROCK HOTEL
583 High Street
The original Shamrock was a single-storey timber pub built in 1864. Miss Louisa Eisele, then 32 years old, bought it in 1887. She was the daughter of a German settler who kept a modest inn at his Kanyapella vineyard, sold after he died in 1886. Louisa replaced the early building with this 'beautiful structure' opened in March 1892. She married E. Plummer in 1889 and remained owner until 1902. J. F. Turner followed until about 1920. Owners N. Wright and Mrs. M. Lowe, 1947-1970, put in a bowling green which ran right to the hotel on the south side. R. & D. Vagg, 1973-1985, built a bottle shop on the street frontage and a restaurant on the former green. The Crowe and McIntosh families transformed the hotel into a traditional Irish pub in 1988.
59 589 HIGH STREET
In 1865 D. Bourke, shoemaker, occupied two slab shops and a dwelling on this site. They were demolished in 1870, after he became insolvent. The land remained vacant until 1892, when a wooden lean-to building was fixed to the wall of the bank to provide office space for a clerk. This was demolished during renovations in 2000. In 1909 stock agents McKenzie & Co., who had saleyards nearby, bought the former bank and about 1926 built timber extensions around the lean-to building. In 1946 McKenzie & Co. moved out and the timber annexe was used by a clothing company until the early 1960s. It later became part of a tyre store and in 1988 was bought by R.&J. Bentley, who opened a book exchange. *
60 BANK OF VICTORIA
591 High Street
In December 1863 the Bank of Victoria moved into this building, bought from Morgan & Mackintosh, Melbourne importers, whose manager lived here. The branch opened one of Echuca's two earliest permanent banks in temporary premises in 1862, then operated here until its closure in 1894. A decorative balcony once graced the building. McKenzie & Co., stock agents, bought the premises in 1908 and in 1918 converted it into a 'fine suite of offices', remaining in occupation for some 35 years. Their extensive saleyards adjoined the building. In 1947 a Melbourne clothing company began making Aertex garments here. For about 20 years a tyre company used the old bank as an office, followed in 1989 by the first tenant to serve light refreshments.
61 632 HIGH STREET
The first shop on this site was made of bark and canvas, replaced in 1869 by a small 'wood' shop first occupied by a storekeeper, fruiterer and tailor respectively. Abraham Brooks, saddler and noted whipmaker, occupied the shop in 1874. He came to Echuca in 1860 after winning a medal at a Paris Exposition in 1855 for making a whip 101 feet long. He was followed by Whiteley's Cheap Boot Emporium until the shop was burnt down in 1880.
This brick building was erected in 1881. Ten years later Wm. Ferguson, saddler, and his family bought this and No. 630 next door and operated as saddlers here until about 1925. During the 1950s saddler Leo Commerford, carried on the tradition.
62 630 HIGH STREET
Wm. Ferguson, who came to Echuca in 1866, was a saddler who first ran a business in Darling Street at Echuca. In 1877 he launched the paddlesteamer 'Saddler' and travelled many river miles servicing his customers.
In 1869 this building was described as 'new brick shop' when Mary Goodwin, fruiterer, rented it from Wm. Taylor. From 1874 to 1879 Henry Taylor operated his 'Geelong House' drapery here. Wm. Ferguson, an Irish saddler, bought present Nos. 630 and 632 in 1891 and he and his family combined the shops operating as saddlers until about 1925. J. Telly was owner from the 1940s. The St. Vincent de Paul society occupied both shops from 1973. Four years later H.& R. Roberts bought the premises - also No. 628 - and remodelled the buildings to form connecting archways between the shops in order to display antique furniture and period costumes. J.& J.Pittman established the World in Wax Museum here in 1986.
63 628 HIGH STREET
This building was erected in 1879 by Jas. Shackell as an office for his stock and station agency. Shackell came to Echuca in 1863 and was among the first to challenge Hopwood's authority, attacking his monopoly over all of Echuca's river crossings. He built up a financial empire and was also a prominent figure in early local government. In 1883 Shackell became a Member of Parliament and moved to Melbourne in 1888, after taking in A.W.H. White as a partner. Shackell White & Co. occupied this building until 1935, when the firm went out of business. In the early 1940s it became a residence and was used as such until remodelled with adjoining shops in 1977.
64 PERMEWAN WRIGHT BUILDING
626 High Street
This is one of the Port's finest early buildings, understood to have been built in the late 1850s for Morgan & Macintosh, Melbourne based importers. Known originally as the Hall of Commerce, James Shackell bought the building in 1865 and his company used it as a bonded warehouse. When extensions were made at the river end in 1866, Wm. McCulloch & Company took it over as a bonded warehouse, offices and 'free' stores. They were followed by Permewan Wright & Co., and finally by the owners, Shackell, White & Co., commission agents.
James Shackell built the ground floor section of this building in 1866. The northern end was used as a store, and for a period by A.W. Robertson, general carrier and forwarding agent. The smaller section adjoining the walkway was the Echuca Road Board office, later used as commercial chambers. The upper floor was added in 1872 for the use of the Millewa Club. In 1889 Permewan Wright & Company, a large firm of shipping agents, moved into the ground floor and operated from there until 1921.
65 SITE OF WHARFMASTER'S HOUSE
1 Leslie Street
66 614 HIGH STREET
Thomas Mitchell bought this allotment Echuca's first land sale in at the 1855, beating his great rival Henry Hopwood, who was forced to settle for the adjoining block to the south.
In 1873 Mrs E. Hansen erected this fine building, first occupied by Thos. Connebee, storekeeper. From 1876 - 1878 the licensee of the nearby Steam Packet Hotel opened a public house (hotel) on the High Street corner. The long greengrocery era began when James Smith, fruiterer and seedsman, opened his 'Covent Garden' shop here, followed by Percy Garden and family who ran the business for 42 years from 1916. During that time a timber extension was added upstairs and an elegant balcony overlooked High Street.
From the mid 1960's, after the building was modified, successive Chinese restauranteurs operated here. Paul Hiew bought the premises in 1982 and ran the River Palace Restaurant for 21 years.
67 MURRAY RIVER HOTEL
612 High Street
This shop is on part of the first block offered at the first land sale in Echuca, held in April 1855. Thos. Mitchell paid 10 pounds for the block and erected a wood and bark pub here - the Murray River Hotel. It was burnt down on Boxing Day 1866, despite a bucket brigade passing water up the steep banks of the nearby Murray and Campaspe Rivers.
C. Hadfield, barber, occupied the new building from 1868-1875, sharing it with the Commercial Bank of Australasia in 1874-75. In 1903 J.D. Cable began the long bakery era. He was succeeded in 1956 by C. Walton, followed by G. Gerrett, who closed the bakery in the late 1960s. Specialty shops occupied the building from the 1980s.
68 608 HIGH STREET
69 DUKE OF EDINBURGH HOTEL
598 High Street
In 1867 H. Edelman obtained a publican's licence for a 'house' on this site, originally known as the Phoenix Hotel. The name was changed one year later to honour the Duke of Edinburgh, whose intended visit to Echuca did not take place, being cut short at Bendigo. The hotel operated until 1896, when it was destroyed by fire. Two shops were built in its place and in 1907 one was subdivided, to make a total of three. A variety of businesses - from butcher to auctioneer to menswear occupied the shops. In 1914 Hart Hicks moved his drapery into the larger premises and his family ran the business here until around 1960. Karl Naujok opened a Disposals Store in all three shops in 1967.
70 592 HIGH STREET
In 1871 Wm. Waylen, fruiterer, built a brick shop here. In 1897 J. Olsen, an engineer and partner in Freeman's Foundry, became owner and commissioned architects Vahland & Beebe to design this 'handsome, commodious place of business', which featured a large lantern (skylight). Mrs. Olsen opened her millinery business here in 1901. J. T. Chenhalls, who started as a draper in Echuca East, opened here in 1908. Three generations of the Chenhalls family ran the business, 'Federal House', for 72 years until 1980. The shop boasted box-like wooden shelving, large hat drawers, magnificent counters and an overhead flying fox cash carrier system. Mrs. L Healey carried on Chenhalls' business until 1984. Echuca Trading Post later occupied the building. This building was purchased by L.R and M.R Jones in 1998. It was destroyed by fire in April 2007, before being rebuilt to its former glory by Lynden Jones.
71 590 HIGH STREET
72 586 HIGH STREET
73 584 HIGH STREET
In 1873 James Shackell built the present pair of shops, replacing an earlier building either through extensive renovation or a completely new structure. Shackell, a business man, was critical of Hopwood's monopoly over river crossings and undermined his authority by pushing successfully for the first local government.
A shoemaker was the first tenant in this building, followed by a bookseller, fishmonger and a piano tuner respectively. Then there were two successive stationers, Miller & Irwin, for the next 37years. An art gallery in the 1970s was succeeded by an upmarket shoe shop, signalling the start of the specialty shop era.
74 582 HIGH STREET
Henry Hopwood, founder of Echuca, erected the main part of this building soon after putting his first punt across the Murray in 1854. In a 'counting house' at the back he counted the money received from his punts and bridges. Main access was via a walkway separated from the shop by a wall, later removed and replaced with posts still surviving in the shop.
Oliver & Lewis opened a drapery here in 1864, followed by draper Jos. Stubbs until 1875. H. & D. Hawthorne then began the grocery era which continued until 1914 when a confectioner took over. There was a 'Half Crown Shop' about 1930, then Hazelman & Sons' bicycle shop for some 30 years, succeeded by a furniture mart, craft cottage and lingerie shop into the 1980s.
75 578-580 HIGH STREET
In 1867 J. Stubbs, draper, extended his business from the adjoining shop into a single storey building on this site, then owned by Buick & Co., Bendigo drapers. Stubbs and partner Crabb were the first tenants in Buick's two-storey building which replaced it in 1875. During the next 41 years a succession of drapers operated here among wood panelled walls and partitioned shelving.
The grocery era began in 1917 with H.G. Bartlett, who remained in business for 29 years and was succeeded by two licensed grocers. A supermarket followed in 1975 but closed soon afterwards, as custom drifted away to shops in Hare Street. From 1978-1985 owner WG. Main ran his furniture business here, then remodelled the building to become a boutique motel.
76 574-576 HIGH STREET
A wooden dwelling stood on this site in 1867, replaced by two brick houses which by 1869 were being used as shops. The second storey is believed to have been added in the late 1870s. Jas. Johnson was the first of many drapers occupying the northern shop between 1874 and 1895 and in 1903 F. Pedrana began his long reign as barber/tobacconist, which W.G. Scott continued into the 1950s. In 1869 Wm. Waylen, fruiterer, was first occupier of the southern shop. Several watchmakers followed, then Thos. Chambers, baker until 1884, succeeded by more watchmakers until 1908. Two newsagents and an electrical retailer later, in 1979 both shops became part of W. Main's furniture store. In 1990 two motel suites were created upstairs and a specialty shop below.
77 570-572 HIGH STREET
In 1870 A. Mayne replaced R. G. Lewen's 'wood' shop with this building, 'the largest and handsomest shop in town'. His son, J. K. Mayne, the next owner, was then manager of McCulloch's Echuca shipping office and founded the Melbourne logistics firm of Mayne Nickless. For the first 70 years the tenants were a succession of drapers, including Brown & Corke and Georges of Melbourne.
In 1900 the building was divided into two shops. In 1909 J. F. Shaw opened an ironmongery in one part and by 1916 had taken over the whole area, later expanding into furniture and giftware. W. E. and J. K. Stokes owned the business from 1938 - 1978. After 85 years' trading, 'Shaw's Hardware' finally closed in 1994. The building then reverted to two shops.
78 568 HIGH STREET
In 1865 David Dewar opened a cafe in F. Payne's building on this site. In 1874 A. Mayne made substantial improvements to the building and in 1890 new owners, Blake & Riggall, Melbourne solicitors, added a dwelling. The Cafe de Paris was followed by a watchmaker and shoemaker until 1876. During the next 40 years a succession of fruiterers occupied the shop. In 1918 Margaret Ferguson started the long era of newsagents and stationers, which continued until c.1960 when W Parry closed his newsagency and moved to Hare Street. Shaw's hardware store then used the shop. Murray Provender opened its doors in 1992 to provide light refreshments, thus following in the footsteps of the original cafe tenant.
79 564 - 566 HIGH STREET
As early as 1863 a grocery occupied a narrow shop on the northern part of this site, now No 566. In 1877 a larger shop and dwelling, now No 564, was built on adjoining vacant land. Most tenants were butchers and fruiterers.
When W. Waylen became owner in 1908 he combined the two shops and sold fruit and confectionery. George Somerville took over in 1924 and in 1939 sold to his nephew John. 'Somerville's' became renowned for its dining room, where a 3-course meal cost 3/6d. Three hundred meals were served one Boxing Day in the 1940s. A. Baker, fruiterer, bought the business in 1948 and remained for 26 years. In the 1970s a Christian bookshop occupied the building, followed in 1986 by a photographic studio.
80 554 HIGH STREET
Cnr Radcliffe Street
In 1868 Jas. Gleeson erected this building and named it the 'Town Hall Hotel' after the newly opened town hall at the Heygarth Street corner. The Gleeson family owned the pub until 1897, when it was delicensed as a result of a Local Option hearing.
Afterwards the downstairs area became a shop and the upstairs residential. Two disastrous fires, in 1895 and 1900, destroyed neighbouring buildings but damage to the hotel was confined to the upper floor. A watchmaker occupied the shop from 1899 until 1922, when F. Gough opened a chemist's shop. It finally closed as a dispensary in 1973 as business gradually moved to Hare Street.
81 552 HIGH STREET
Cnr Radcliffe Street
82 ENDOTA SPA - FORMER YMCA
544 High Street
Wm. Taylor owned this land from 1855 till bought by Geo. Redman in 1869. He later sold part to James L. Simonds, a London chemist who joined the gold rush and prospered by selling medicines. In 1874 Simonds moved into a new brick shop on this Echuca site and appointed his nephew Moritz Simonds as chemist. Unfortunately Moritz died from measles in 1881 aged 34, leaving wife Katherine with three small children. W. F. Strong, an older Kyneton chemist, supervised Katherine's activities until she became qualified. She was one of the first women chemists registered in Victoria. By 1878 K. Simonds owned the whole block, including another shop built 1890 and in 1894 sold the freehold to J. J. Cunningham. In 1903 he subdivided and built a shop/timber yard occupied by builders McBride and Nichols followed in 1910 by ironmonger W. Wenn, owner, whose estate leased to Burgess Bros. from 1924. The Oberin family bought the property in 1969.
83 NOOK ON HIGH - FORMER YMCA
542 High Street
In 1855 W. James bought this land, sold to Geo. Redman in 1868. In 1883 Wm. Trebilco, stationer, built an impressive shop and ran a stationery business there for 18 years. In 1888 Trebilco built one of similar design on ramaining vacant land, occupied by different drapers until 1897. Another draper, H. Ising, leased it until 1914 when Alex. Miller & Co. grocers, took over both shops. In 1921 Elsie Murray opened a high class 'Ladies Emporium' in the northern shop and this remained a feature of High Street for years. At the same time R.G. Stout, tailor, became owner/occupier of the south shop and in 1947 Mackrell & Palmer bought both businesses.
In 1965 the YMCA bought both shops, continuing activities there until 1999, when the Oberin family became owners. Following an unsuccessful application to VCAT to demolish and rebuild both shops in 2002, major restoration work began in 2012 and was completed in 2013 by the Oberin family.
84 32 HEYGARTH STREET
In 1868 John Fleming, built four 'wood cottages' fronting Heygarth Street. These two survived, upgraded to brick shops. Annie Callaghan became owner from 1890, followed by her estate.
No. 32 Heygarth St. John Smith, grocer, was occupier from 1868-71, followed by numerous tenants. The Milo Bacon Co. was rated from 1903, followed by butchers R. Greville from 1910 to 1943, then E. Surry until 1949 when A Wilson became owner. From 1974 J.F. & S. Waters were owners until purchased by D. K. and and J.C. Oberin in 1983.
85 30 HEYGARTH STREET
No. 30 Heygarth St., beside the American Hotel was most sought after. Started as a fruit shop in 1868 then became a bakery taken over by Chas. Snell, who traded from 1873 to 1895. Henry Holmfield began a cycle business in 1903 and in 1914 upgraded to a car dealership. Owned by A. Wilson and her estate from 1925-1969 then by J.F. & Sadie Waters until 1983, when the Oberin family became owners.
86 AMERICAN HOTEL
239-249 Hare Street
In 1868 John Fleming, carrier, built, a 'wood hotel' on land W.K. Welch acquired as a Crown grant in 1855. After Fleming's untimely death in 1871 the 'American' was administered as part of his estate until sold to Annie Callaghan in 1889. The next year she replaced the timber hotel with a two-storey brick building.
In 1894 Wm Broderick became licensee until 1925. Family beneficiaries owned it after Annie's death in 1899 until 1973 when J. Brown, the Davies family and Harry Carr and family succeeded as owners between 1973 and 1982, when Don and Corale Oberin purchased the freehold of the American. The Oberins ran the hotel until 1991, upgrading the building in 1998. In 2012 the family began award-winning renovations and in 2014 won AHA National Award for Excellence in the category of 'Overall Hotel of the Year - Regional' and Best Redeveloped Hotel.
87 NIREBO
251-257 Hare Street
The Nirebo Motel was opened in 1971 on the site of a wooden pub operating in 1868 on land owned by F. Calahan from 1855.
In 1876 the building was described as a 'brick hotel' known as the Oddfellows Arms, with Chas. Ward as owner and publican. Delicensed in 1899, it was a boarding house until 1914 when Wm. Wenn, ironmonger, became owner. His estate owned it until 1966 when the Oberin family bought the property. The Odd-fellows was demolished to make way for the Nirebo Motel, built over three allotments, including the site of a brewery on the northern side that operated here in 1867. In 1900 a house was built on the brewery site, still owned by Annie Callaghan. After demolition in 1937 the subdivided land ultimately had several owners - on the eastern side Harry Holmfield, Elsie Murray and Des Crowe with Hy. White, Hy. Bartlett and Max Schoeffel at the western end.
88 SITE OF FORMBER BELLVIDERE HOTEL & BREWERY
Cnr Hare & Radcliffe Street
89 19 BOLTON STREET
Former Residence Captain James Hill of Snagging Boat "Grappler"
Note: This brochure (without the text on the plaques) can be obtained from the Echuca-Moama Visitor Information Centre.
Much of this information was compiled by the Echuca Historical Society.
