Victoria’s Mirror to the Sky

Bendigo
Bendigo is a city in Victoria, Australia. Originally a gold rush boom town, it’s home to the mid-1900s Central Deborah Gold Mine. Vintage Talking Trams run through the city, providing audio commentary on gold mining history.

Murray River Paddlesteamers
Dedicated to making your cruise along the Murray memorable, they offer a wide range of cruising options including short cruises, dining cruises, functions, weddings as well as uniquely Australian accommodated cruises.

Each vessel is unique and shows the dedication we have in providing an experience for our guests with all cruises short or long offering live historical commentary from the skipper. With great passion and a commitment to preservation we set unprecedented goals that continue to improve the guests experience when visiting the Echuca/Moama region.

In 1996, Murray River Paddlesteamers began their first cruises along the Murray River with the Pride of the Murray. The company has since expanded to include the PS Emmylou and the hundred year old PS Canberra. After twelve months of restoration during 2002-2003, Paddle Steamer Canberra is to date, the only known vessel along the Murray River to have been converted back to steam.

Lake Tyrrell (Also known as Victoria’s Mirror to the Sky)
Lake Tyrrell is a shallow, salt-crusted depression in the Mallee district of north-west Victoria, in Australia. The word is derived from the local Wergaia word for ‘sky’, the Boorong Aboriginal people of the area being distinguished for their interest in star-lore. The Boorong people, with their astronomical traditions, told stories connected with constellations in the night sky.

In the mid-2010s, the lake became a tourist mecca, particularly among the Chinese. It’s a popular spot for photographers and social media users who take snaps of the lake’s mirror-like surface during winter, when ground water percolates to the surface and inflows arrive from the Avoca/Tyrrell creek system.

Lake Tyrrell’s mirror-like surface
During this time of cold weather, people are able to walk into the shallow lake without sinking in or getting feet muddy by finding areas where salt has formed a solid floor.

Echuca
Echuca is an Australian town in northern Victoria. It’s across the Murray River from the town of Moama, in New South Wales. Paddle steamers depart near the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre, which has exhibits on the 19th-century river trade, plus part of the original Echuca Wharf. The Echuca Historical Society Museum is dedicated to local history. Vintage cars are displayed at the National Holden Motor Museum.