Regional Development Victoria

Discover traditional stories at the Port of Echuca

Echuca has been home to great Australian stories for over 40,000 years. Few places can stir such vivid imagery in the mind of Victorians.

When you think of Echuca, you might first conjure images of paddle steamers and cargo moving up and down the river, and the hustle and bustle of the late 1800s. But Echuca's history stretches back far beyond the river trade and European settlement.

According to Yorta Yorta Traditional Owners, it stretches back to the beginning. Back when the Rainbow Serpent carved Dhungala, the Murray River, on its way to the ocean.

This creation story is now central to the refurbished Port of Echuca Discovery Centre, thanks to a beautiful mural by Yorta Yorta artist Stuart Hearn.

‘The mural is based on a creation story that I was told as a kid,’ said Stuart.

It features images of the story’s key figures, including Biami, the All-Father and Gane, the Rainbow Serpent.

As creation stories can only be told by elders, the mural also features an audio recording of the story being told by Yorta Yorta Elder, Uncle Des Morgan.

The mural is part of a $600,000 refurbishment funded by the Victorian Government's Regional Tourism Investment Fund.

Other works include the refurbishment of physical and digital exhibits, including at the log slip and steam garage, updates to interpretive signage and the installation of digital recordings for various exhibitions.

Critically, the refurbishment has helped to bring Yorta Yorta voices and stories to the forefront.

‘Coming here is a wonderful opportunity to share the culture that has been here since the start. It's the oldest living culture on the planet,’ said Stuart.

‘So, if you actually want to learn more, feel more, experience more of our culture, this is where you can come to hear this particular story,’ he added.

For Port of Echuca Discovery Centre Tour Guide Joel Pearce, the exhibits and activations need to reflect the rich variety of stories from Echuca's past.

‘As time goes on, we learn more about our own history. So, being able to tell parts of the Yorta Yorta story is important,’ he said.

‘We have so many stories to tell, we can't keep it contained to just one. And being able to change that up makes it better for everyone,’ he added.

For more information, visit Regional Tourism Investment Fund.

View transcript

[Text: Port of Echuca Discovery Centre updated with $600,000 from the Victorian Government]

[Vision: View of the paddleboat travelling down the Murray River and sounding the whistle. View of the Port of Echuca and Discovery Centre signage. Welcome to country sign in both Aboriginal and English language. View of people entering the Discovery Centre. Time lapse views of people looking at displays in the Discovery Centre]

Joel Pearce - Tour Guide

What’s so important about the Discovery Centre is that we’ve got things here you just can’t see anywhere else.

All of the Murray River is such a beautiful region but Echuca brings it together in a way that I don’t think you can see in any other part of Australia.

[Vision: View of different buildings at the Discovery Centre and paddleboat travelling down the Murray River. Views of different steam engines at the Discovery Centre and man feeding wood into the fire]

And it’s able to tell that story with a whole fleet of century old wood-fired steam engines, with the gorgeous centre itself with people like me who just genuinely love telling the stories and helping bring it to life to everyone who comes to visit.

[Vision: View of Aboriginal flag]

[Text: Yorta Yorta exhibit features mural by local artist]

Stuart Hearn - Yorta Yorta Artist

Well, the mural itself is based on a creation story.

[Vision: Close-up view of the mural as Stuart Hearn tells the story behind the mural]

The man’s face that is Biami, that is our forefather.

The young woman down the end there that’s his wife, she’s dragging the digging stick.

There is Baka which is the dog that was sent down with her for company.

And of course, Gane the rainbow serpent that creates the rivers and the different systems on his way down to the ocean.

Coming here is a wonderful opportunity to be able to share the culture that has been here since the start, the oldest living culture on the planet.

[Vision: Close-up view of mural in detail]

Joel Pearce - Tour Guide

[Vision: View of the paddleboat travelling down the Murray River and sounding the whistle. Close-up view of old ship and historic photographs and displays at the Discovery Centre]

The Port of Echuca is such a huge part of Australia’s history.

[Vision: View of displays at the Discovery Centre and historic signage. View of the Murray River from the Discovery Centre site and paddleboats on the river]

Being able to travel across the continent and help to build a nation is what made Australia what it is today, the wool trade, the wheat, the goldfields, all of them relied upon so much work that was done by the hardworking men and women on the boats, and I feel it’s such an important story to tell.

[Victoria State Government / Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne]