Echucaweb.com.au has since March 2001, provided a listing service for Business and Community enterprises based in Echuca Moama and surrounding regions, to promote our facilities to locals and visitors.
Set on the scenic Murray River, Echuca in Victoria, and Moama in New South Wales are connected across the river by a historic road bridge and a new rail bridge. Before these bridges, river punts were operated by the founder of Echuca Henry Hopwood, and his rival the founder of Moama James Maiden. Both men saw the potential and financial rewards in assisting travellers and their livestock to safely traverse the 'Mighty' Murray River. Henry Hopwood also set up a river punt across the Campaspe River near to his Murray River punt, and in doing so was in a unique position to charge travellers with their livestock across the Campaspe River then again when traversing across the Murray River. Henry Hopwood decided to setup the Bridge Hotel for weary travellers, and stockyards in front of the Hotel to corale stock as a resting point between the two rivers. The City of Echuca grew rapidly as it soon became the main crossing point between the Goulburn, Murray, and Campaspe Rivers.
Henry Hopwood's wealth was turned into building facilities in Echuca so as to encourage other merchants to establish businesses. In later years, bullock dray traffic along on the Murray River banks was replaced by steam driver paddle boats. A two mile red river gum wharf was built on the bank of the Murray River in Echuca to accommodate goods tranfer from the river paddle boats to the new rail network for transfer to Melbourne. The current road bridge was initially funded by the people of Deniliquin and built soley as a rail bridge that did not acccommodate horse or bullock draw wagons or pedestrial traffic. This bridge was never officially opened, but after a period of time was stormed and modified by locals in Echuca and Moama to accommodate wagon and pedestrian traffic. For many years, all vehicle traffic on the bridge had to stop and give way to rail traffic travelling across the bridge. A subsequent rail bridge was built in the late 1980s to facilitate only rail traffic, thereby leaving the original bridge just for vechicle and pedestrian traffic. The Echuca and Moama business and community entities are closer today than in the past particularly through this internet based directory listing service. This Echucaweb.com.au directory serves to promote Echuca-Moama and Regional enterprises to those seeking facilities and services in this area.
