This blog edition shines a spotlight on Moira Shire or better known as Sun Country on the Murray. Where golden beaches meet the Murray, where vineyards blend with the horizon and adventure flows as freely as the Mulwala. Natural attractions abound, warm climate, local produce, championship golf courses and an award-winning luxury boutique conference venue and resort.
Only three hours north of Melbourne with plenty of joy in the journey, Moira Shire comprises Yarrawonga, Mulwala, Cobram, Barooga, Numurkah, Nathalia and Barmah. It is also easily accessible within an hour from major regional centres such as Shepparton, Wangaratta and Albury Airport for interstate business groups from Sydney and Brisbane.
To those in the know, the area is already one of the best year round holiday destinations in Australia – a water-sport destination, some of the country’s best golf to be tee’d off from, fine food and wine and awe-inspiring murals on the Northeast Silo Art Trail.
But its best-kept secret is The Sebel Yarrawonga, the region’s award-winning conference and resort destination that perches as an oasis on the banks of Lake Mulwala. The Sebel Yarrawonga opened in late 2020, part of the Accor Hotels collection and offers a luxury conference getaway surrounded by natural beauty, particularly appealing to organisations and groups that seek to enjoy Lake Mulwala’s water activities, golf at the Black Bull Golf Course, and the rich wine and agricultural regions nearby.
The dreamy and mysterious beauty of Lake Mulwala is a story in itself. It is actually a man-made reservoir, created in the 1930s by damming the Murray River to supply irrigation water to surrounding farmlands. The living trees that once were now stand immortalized and skeletal-like rising from the water’s surface, creating a striking, eerie and mesmerising view particularly at sunset when viewed from the resort’s infinity pool.
The Sebel Yarrawonga offers an adaptable range of function spaces to cater for conferences up to 150 with over 60 accommodation rooms and one-bedroom apartments. With its premier position and uninterrupted vistas overlooking Lake Mulwala, it is a memorable setting for conferences, corporate meetings, retreats and product launches.
The resort’s eco luxe design and lush green lawns and immaculate landscaped grounds all lent a superb setting and showed off the versatility of the resort’s state of the art conference rooms and outdoor spaces for recent conferences and events held there recently, such as the BMW New Release Showcase, Australian Funeral Directors Conference and the Murray Food and Drink Showcase.
The hardest choices to make will have to be an array of highly attractive and appealing team activity options. Event organisers will be spoiled for choice for your groups – playing a round of 18-holes on the championship course at Black Bull Golf Course – a top golfing destination. Designed by Peter Thomson and Ross Perrett, Black Bull incorporates a “bull-ring” design on the back nine holes, adding both challenge and visual appeal. Having gained recognition as one of Australia’s premier regional golf courses, it’s an essential stop for golf enthusiasts and is known to have guests helicoptered in.
The region’s rich fertile soils blessed with a Mediterranean climate and passionate farmers has crowned Sun Country on the Murray its slogan and reputation for delicious, high quality and local produce. Teams spend time as part of their off-site activity or as a post-conference program exploring the Murray Farm Gate Trail – tasting boutique brews at Byramine Homestead & Brewer, crushing olives at an Olive Oil Master Class amongst the vines at Rich Glen Olive Estate, chocolate tastings at Tocumwal Chocolate School, wine tastings at De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate and a delectable lunch at All Saints Estate, and most unexpectedly of all, explore a little slice of Mexico at Cactus Country.
Consider the exciting possibility to curate an off-site and private event for your group on Thompson’s Beach – Australia’s largest inland beach. Located on the Murray in Cobram, Thompson’s Beach is the gateway to the Murray River – one of the most ecologically important and culturally significant river systems in the country and home to a diverse wildlife. Nature and animal voyeurs are blessed to experience the Murray’s ecosystem direct from the shore or whilst exploring neaby trails.
The list of team-bonding opportunities are endless – hop on a paddlesteamer P.S. Cumberoona cruise to explore the Murray’s serene and scenic waterways, visit the internationally significant Barmah Wetlands, or for the more adventurous – canoe, kayak or try your hand at dragon-boating across the Mulwala.
For meeting planners on the hunt for your next inspiration, put Sun Country on the Murray on your immediate next “dream list” – conference with style in a riverside paradise.
