Things to do with kids in Echuca & the Central Murray

Walk the red gum wharf, watch steam engines run and see the PS Adelaide, the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer still operating anywhere. The Cargo Shed Kids Space has costumes and games. The PS Pevensey runs one-hour cruises, and the Discovery Centre opens 9am to 5pm daily.

Kangaroos, emus and wallabies roam free across 55 hectares of woodland and wetland at Kyabram Fauna Park. There are koalas, dingoes and a reptile house, and a splash park opens in warm weather from September to Easter. Allow at least 90 minutes; the park opens 10am to 5pm daily.

Barmah National Park runs along the Murray, and its Lakes campground has sandy beach sites. Take care in cold water and currents, and watch for submerged logs. Some tracks are still closed after flooding, and the Lakes day area toilet is shut, so check Parks Victoria first.

Pick your own strawberries at this Koonoomoo farm when they're in season. There's an indoor playground and an outdoor one, and the kitchen serves food from 9am to 2pm. The farm opens 9am to 3pm daily.

Forty arcade machines from 1900 to 1950 still work here, and entry includes real pennies to play them. Old films run through the day, from paddleboat stories to early comedies. It opens 10am to 5pm daily on Echuca's Murray Esplanade, with free fudge tastings.

The Yarrawonga foreshore has a motion-activated splash park, a kiosk, barbecues and shaded picnic spots on the banks of Lake Mulwala. Swim in the Lake Mulwala Swimming Pool rather than the open lake, where the drowned ghost trees hide underwater hazards. The splash park runs in the warmer months, so check its season dates first.

This stretch of white sand on a Murray bend at Cobram is billed as the largest inland beach in the Southern Hemisphere. Play in the sand, fish or kayak, and grab gelato at the cafe next door. Snags and strong currents can be hidden, so enter the water slowly, feet first, and swim with a mate.

The Balaclava open cut is a striking example of early quartz reef mining, with tunnels and old puddling machines nearby. Stay on the tracks, because there are unstable cliffs, mine shafts and uneven ground. Dogs are not allowed.