Discover the many things to do in Leitchville on page 15 of the Gannawarra Visitor Guide
Leitchville is an agricultural community with strong links to the dairy industry. It is located just off the Murray Valley Highway 50 kilometres north-west of Echuca and 16 kilometres south-east of Cohuna. The town is just a short drive to the Murray River, Kow Swamp and the Gunbower Creek.
Leitchville has serviced the local dairy industry for many years and continues to support the local farming community through changing times. The town’s RV site is a popular destination for passing travellers to stay and explore the area’s attractions.
Local businesses include the popular Leitchville Hotel and Redgum Bakery, IGA X-press supermarket and The Good Meat Co.
Leitchville is a strong community, with services including a local swimming pool, kindergarten, primary school and library offering visitor information. It is also home to a number of sporting clubs including a football/netball club, cricket club, tennis club and bowls club.
Kow Swamp is a large natural wetland located just 2.5 kilometres south of Leitchville, and is an important water storage in the Torrumbarry irrigation system with a capacity in excess of 50,000 megalitres.
The name Kow Swamp is derived from an Aboriginal word in the Yorta Yorta language, Ghow, which refers to the white gypsum soil found in the area. Aboriginal occupation is evident from canoe trees and middens, while early settlers’ records describe an Aboriginal ceremonial site on the north side of the swamp.
In 1925 archeological remains were discovered on the west side of Kow Swamp. By 1972 the remains of nearly 40 individuals, dated more than 20,000 years old, were uncovered in a narrow belt of lake silt around the edge of the swamp. The Aboriginal burial ground is one of the world’s largest single populations of human remains from the late Pleistocene era (120,000 - 10,000 years ago).
Leitchville has a strong dairy history, with milk production being the main agricultural industry in the area. A highly developed irrigation system services local dairy farms, while changes to water policy are putting pressure on the dairy industry right across northern Victoria.
The Kraft cheese factory opened in Leitchville in 1945, providing the town with employment for many years. Murray Goulburn purchased the factory in 2001 and, at its peak, employed 130 workers. The factory closed in February 2010 after a sustained downturn in milk production due to drought.
