Food & drink in The Murray

Top restaurants in The Murray

The towns along the Murray River may be small, but they pack a big punch when it comes to dining. Making use of incredible fresh produce, local wines, boutique brews and small-batch spirits, innovative cafes and restaurants create menus worth travelling for.  

Junction Moama, Moama - Credit: Junction Moama

In Albury, start your day with great coffee and housemade crumpets at The Proprietor. For lunch, settle into the waterside River Deck Cafe and for dinner, choose from Italian at Norma Wine and Pasta, modern European at Bistro Selle or bold Mediterranean flavours at Yardbird. 

Yardbird Restaurant and Bar - Credit: Bec Haycraft

Take a café or dinner cruise along the Murray on the MV Mary Ann Cruising Restaurant, moored at Echuca, or try the multi-course seasonal menu at Junction Moama. And for beautiful aesthetics order a woodfired pizza and regional rosé overlooking Lake Mulwala at Blacksmith Provedore. 

Blacksmith Provedore, Mulwala

Pubs in The Murray 

Friendly and welcoming pubs can be found lining the river and in towns around The Murray. In Albury, award winning The Bended Elbow offers 4 unique dining areas including a Melbourne style alfresco laneway, rooftop bar and a bistro.  

The Bended Elbow, Albury

Have a few games of barefoot bowls while you sip a beer at Moama Bowling Club or head over the river to Echuca to the The Star Hotel Situated opposite the historic Echuca Wharf.  

The Gol Gol Pub backs onto the Murray River, so you can kayak, boat or SUP to get there and the Barooga Hotel is a friendly spot that offers a courtesy bus to patrons. In Wentworth, the Crown Hotel Wentworth has great pub food, friendly service and a huge selection of beer.  

Crown Hotel Wentworth, Wentworth

Local produce

Part of the food bowl of Australia, you’ll find produce from the abundant Murray region on plates and in glasses around the nation. Its rich landscape produces heirloom tomatoes, purple garlic, pink salt, free-range Berkshire pork, grass-fed lamb and beef, gourmet nuts, organic honey and a rainbow of seasonal fruit and vegetables.  

Fill your basket at Albury Wodonga Farmer’s Market or Sunraysia Farmers' Market in Mildura, and chat to the passionate producers who bring it all to life. On the first Sunday of every month is the Corowa Rotary Federation Farmers and Variety Market, with stalls selling plants, candles, soaps, wool and knitted goods, fruit and vegetables, honey, sourdough bread and more.

Corowa Rotary Federation Farmers and Variety Market, Albury

Or if you’re up for a bit of adventure, why not pick your own berries from the bush at The Big Strawberry and Hotsons Cherry's. The Echuca Moama Food and Wine Trail features local wineries, dining venues and intimate food and wine experiences. Get a copy of the trail map from the Echuca Moama and District Visitor Information Centre. 

The Mildura Jazz Food & Wine Festival takes place each spring and features an exciting line up of jazz musicians along with the best of the region’s produce, with events taking place at restaurants, wineries and more across the area. 

Morrisons Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama

Wineries

You’ll never go thirsty in The Murray. It sits within the second largest wine producing region in Australia and grapes have been grown here for more than 130 years. You’ll find lush chardonnay, fruity shiraz and emerging Mediterranean varieties. 

Discover vineyards spread out in the midst of pristine national park like St. Anne's Winery or Flyfaire Wines, a sustainable, low chemical and low carbon single block vineyard, and cellar doors on the banks of the iconic Murray River, like family-owned winery Trentham Estate. 

Trentham Estate Winery, Trentham Cliffs

Pay a visit to Restdown Wines, on 1100 acres of natural bush and farmland, where you can taste organic wines and go for a stroll on the 1.4km Wetland Walking Trail, beside an ancient river system and featuring Aboriginal heritage sites.  

Take a paddlesteamer cruise from Echuca and stop off for a tasting and lunch at Morrisons Winery and Restaurant. Or enjoy try both local and imported wines from the large selection at Level One Wine Bar in Albury.  

St Anne's Vineyards, Moama

Distilleries & breweries 

Looking for something a little stronger? Sample some of the region’s best spirits at  boutique distilleries. Treat yourself to chocolate and whisky tasting inside Corowa’s restored 1920s flour mill, where along with Corowa Distilling Co you’ll find Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory. 

Corowa Whisky and Chocolate, Albury

Echuca Distillery produce an exciting range of spirits, made using natural products and botanicals. In Mildura, join in the live distillation experience at Fossey’s Distillery on Thursdays, or enjoy a tasting paddle, gin and tonic, or cocktail from Thursday to Sunday. And if beer is your thing, head to the The Thirsty Devil Brewery in Albury, where beers are brewed on site. Or Albury Brewhouse, where you will find fresh craft beer and live music.  

Fossey's Distillery, Mildura