Fast facts
- Historic riverboat town celebrating a pioneer heritage
- On the banks of the Murray River, just over the border in Victoria
- 910 km south-west of Sydney, population 9,400
Why go there
Swan Hill is an historic river port town with a unique garden-like main street. Houseboats and paddle-steamers navigate the river, while swimming, fishing and riverside walks are popular activities. The town’s colourful past is celebrated too, with plenty on offer for the budding historian.
History
The surveyor and explorer, Thomas Mitchell, stayed here in 1836, and named the site after a camping spot where he was disturbed through the night by "swans and other wild fowl" on a shallow lagoon.
A punt began operating at Swan Hill in 1847. When it finally sank, the wood was used to build the town’s first hotel.
A groundbreaking steamship voyage from the mouth of the Murray to Swan Hill in 1853 paved the way for the start of the inland river trade. Swan Hill became the first major inland port. Explorers Burke and Wills crossed the Murray here in 1860.
Things to do
- Go back in time at the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement, an open-air historical museum and reconstruction of a 19th-century river port town with employees dressed in period attire.
- Take a paddleboat cruise along the Murray and relive the days of riverboat trade.
- Look around the 1869 Swan Hill bridge, and notice the large counterbalance weights and the central span that could be lifted to allow paddle-steamers to pass.
Events
- Australian Inland Wine Show in October for a weekend of great wine, food and entertainment.
Don’t miss
- The Tyntyndyer Homestead furnished in the style of the 1870s.
- Nearby Lake Boga for parasailing, water-skiing, sailing and swimming.
- Local winery cellar doors and farm gates to sample distinctive flavours.
- Fishing for the famed Murray cod.
- See the Giant Murray Cod, which is 11 metres long and six metres wide.
