5 Best Restaurants in Murray River Region, Victoria

For a delicious breakfast on the go, this widely admired bakery's eggs Benedict wrap is a great start. For the rest of the day, hit the deli sandwich bar, order a Beechworth steak pie or the robust Ned Kelly pie, a meat pie topped with bacon, egg, and cheese. Vegan options include an Indian curry pie and glazed doughnuts. Gluten-, dairy- and nut-free options are also available. There are also outposts across country Victoria including Bendigo, Ballarat, and Bright.

On a hot summer's day, after a bike ride on the rail trail, pull up for a handmade sorbet from this family business, which has been making its sorbets in the back kitchen for 20 years. There is a standard list of 22 flavors, but the real winners are those blended with seasonal, locally grown fruits: the raspberry sorbet is a firm favorite. Try the nectarine sorbet if you're there in season.

Self-billed as Australia's Greatest Pie Shop, Parkers really are that good. Not just your average pie, here's your chance to try a kangaroo pie—with mushrooms and caramelized onion—or perhaps an emu or buffalo pie, when in stock. Otherwise, their classic steak pies all get top marks: try the Rutherglen Red, chunks of beef slowly cooked in a mushroom, bacon and red wine sauce. Vegetarians aren't forgotten, with a veg pie with sweet chili and cheese sauce.

Coffee aficionados make a beeline for here for house-roasted coffee and sensational pastries: the café caters to early birds, opening at 7 am.

Load the brunch table with French toast, waffles, breakfast wraps, and a big fry at this too-cute weatherboard café on Echuca's main street. The café serves all plant-based foods, from its milky coffees to its sweet smoothie bowls and refined sugar-free slices. Fresh, cold-pressed juices, coffee and superfood peanut-butter lattes round out the drinks side of the menu, which is guided by principles of sustainability and veganism.