Thanks to a fantastic location on sandy Apex Beach, just outside town, this bush park is always popular – prices are 25% higher during school holidays. There are campfires, a bush kitchen, barbecue area, boat ramp, good swimming and a cafe.

Mildura is a big destination for travellers looking for fruit-picking work, so most of the city’s half-dozen hostels are set up with them in mind. Oasis is Mildura’s best-equipped backpacker hostel, with a great pool and patio bar area, ultramodern kitchen and free internet. The owners can organise plenty of seasonal work. Minimum one-week stay.

The standard rooms at the Grand aren’t the most luxurious in town, but staying at this landmark hotel – Mildura's top address – gives you the feeling of being part of something special. Although cheaper rooms in the original wing are comfortable, go for one of the stylish suites with private spa.

Many rooms open onto a delightful courtyard garden, and there’s a gym, pool and spa.

These stunning contemporary apartments in the centre of town could be Mildura's best, with polished floors, plenty of floor space and excellent facilities. It has a couple of other locations around town if the Langtree Ave property is full.

It’s French for 'a home away from home', but we doubt home ever looked this good! Five stylish and luxurious bedrooms sleep up to 10 people, with all amenities including free wi-fi, boat and car parking and a barbecue area.

On the banks of the Murray, close to Pioneer Settlement, this park enjoys a fabulous central location. There’s a good range of cabins, but prices soar by more than 50% in holiday periods.

Sitting in the shade of the Burke and Wills Tree, rooms here are spacious and comfortable, with the usual motel accompaniments. There’s a heated spa and outdoor pool.

The riverside location alone is enough to lure you to this licensed cafe, which offers a big timber deck overlooking the Marraboor River and Pioneer Settlement. As well as light lunches and innovative dinners (in which fresh local ingredients take centre stage), there’s a providore selling fresh produce and gourmet hampers.

Dining under open-sided thatched and teak-wood huts in a tropical garden, you’ll think you’ve been transported to Southeast Asia. The authentic cuisine is predominantly Thai, with some Malaysian and Indonesian influences mixed in. There's a takeaway version in the town centre (%03-5033 0015; 24 McRae St).

Run by inveterate traveller Kym, this enjoyable place is part YHA hostel and part guesthouse, all set in beautiful gardens with ponds, statues, chickens and fruit trees. The 140-year-old workers cottage has bunk beds, smart bathrooms, a country kitchen and a TV room. The cute ‘gypsy wagons’ in the garden offer unique accommodation, complete with en suite and kitchenette.

Staying in the old port area is all part of the Echuca experience. This 19th-century National Trust–classified B&B offers genteel rooms with all the old-fashioned charm, linen, lace and brass bedstead you could want (but with air-con and flat-screen TVs, too). Ask for the large corner rooms for a view of the wharf.

The lounge room is cosy and breakfast is served on fine china.

These romantic little self-contained cottages are set in rambling gardens on the Murray River around 5km out of town. They blend old-world style with modern conveniences such as double spas. The lilac cottage has a glass-roofed garden room.

The semi-luxurious riverside accommodation here, a block back from the main street, is a good choice, especially if you're willing to pay a little more for the ones with a terrace overlooking the Campaspe River.