Echuca wharf, Historic wharf in Echuca, Australia

Echuca Wharf is a three-storey timber wharf on the Murray River at Echuca, built of Red Gum. Its tiers of decks and cargo levels were designed to load and unload riverboats whatever the water level. Paddle steamers still moor at the wharf for tourist trips, and most of the timber was replaced with locally milled Red Gum in a 2015 restoration.

The wharf was built between 1865 and 1867, making Echuca Victoria's largest inland port with trade reaching about 5 million pounds by 1882. This rapid growth shows how important the Murray River became for moving goods across the region in the 1800s.

The wharf's name comes from the Yorta Yorta word for the meeting of the waters, and the site still serves working paddle steamers carrying tourists. In the 1890s around 240 paddle steamers worked the river trade from here, and the wharf's three-storey timber frame let cargo move between decks as water levels shifted.

The wharf lies on the Murray River at Echuca and is reached on foot from the town centre. Its three stacked timber levels, built to follow changing river heights, mean stairs and sloping ramps between decks, so sturdy shoes help. Paddle steamer departures depend on river levels, and low water can suspend them.

Red Gum timber from local sources supports the entire structure, and parts of the original wood remain visible when water levels drop. These weathered pieces show visitors how the pioneer-era construction has endured for over 150 years.