GOOD FOOD Sydney media went to Echuca-Moama for one restaurant, and honestly, fair enough
BY: Kartya Vucetic
That’s it, I’m calling it: Echuca-Moama has officially entered its “glow-up” era.
What was once somewhere you vaguely remember from school camps is now home to Wildergreen. It’s a sprawling new lifestyle precinct perched along the Murray River, and the opening has quietly (and by quietly, we mean aggressively) shifted the region onto the culinary map.
Yes, this is in a ‘country town’ | Image: Supplied
At the centre of it all is Embr, the precinct’s wood-fired Italian restaurant. Or, as I like to call it, the venue responsible for dragging a bunch of Sydney media across the Victorian border and then three hours inland to convince us there’s life beyond the M5.
It’s helmed by Sardinian-born chef Daniel Girau, whose entire personality appears to be fire, pasta and aggressive levels of seasonality. The menu is Italian, yes, but with little native-Australian nudges woven in.
You can just tell this man loves aggressive seasonality | Image: Supplied
And no, not in a “let’s sprinkle a little wattleseed for clout” way which drives me insane, but in a way that actually works: crudo with finger lime, salami pizzas with bush honey, and a limoncello tiramisu situation that feels entirely appropriate after you’ve inhaled half the menu.
If the socials reel I’m about to post feels like it was cut short, that’s because it was. By the time we hit course number five(?), I was this close to being rolled out on a gurney.
My POV before being rolled out | Image: Supplied
But in all seriousness, Wildergreen is clearly designed for people who want to feel outdoorsy without actually camping, and that is something I seriously respect. There’s vast lawns, family zones, live music, seasonal events, and enough breezy architecture to make you forget you’re not in a Byron hinterland day spa.
It’s a precinct that feels big-city in vision without losing the river-town warmth that makes Echuca-Moama, well, Echuca-Moama.
The interiors are just as stunning as outside | Image: Supplied
The real headline? This opening isn’t just “great for the region”. It’s the kind of venue that could open in Sydney tomorrow and immediately have lines out the door. Plus, I just know Hemmes is angrily punching the air right now with this opening, and that makes me marginally happy too.
So, if you were looking for an excuse to flee Sydney for 48 hours (fair), consider it served. Wildergreen has arrived, and Echuca-Moama suddenly makes sense as a destination.
Because after all, sometimes the most Sydney thing to do is to get tf out of Sydney.
