31-696: The Pioneer Settlement , in Swan Hill , Victoria, is Australia's first open-air museum, portraying life on the Murray in the era 1830-1930. It opened in 1966 as the Swan Hill Folk Museum , before being renamed, following a visit by the Queen in 1970. It contains approximately 50 replica buildings, including Masonic hall, coach-house, post office, photographic studio, original 1895 kaiserpanorama , and newspaper office. The collection also contains numerous tractors – including
62-525: A $ 23.7 million package of improvements to the Victorian core grain network. In October 2010, the Victorian government released a report into public transport options for the north-west of Victoria, which analysed nine proposals for improving services to the city of Mildura . One alternative investigated was an extension of the railway from Swan Hill to connect to the Mildura railway line at Ouyen . As part of
93-838: A branch spread of approximately 44 metres and can be seen in Curlewis Street. The Murray River road bridge over the Murray River connects McCallum Street in Swan Hill to the Swan Hill Road in Murray Downs in New South Wales . The bridge is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register . In Dreamtime myths, Totyerguil (from the area now known as Swan Hill) ran out of spears while chasing Otchtout
124-730: A meeting at the racecourse in October. Golfers play at the course of the Murray Downs Golf Club on Moulamein Road. Swan Hill also has Junior and Senior badminton games in Winter at the Stadium every Tuesday night. Juniors from 6pm till completed matches. Then Seniors not long afterwards. The city is located on the Murray Valley Highway (B400), which links it to Echuca and Albury-Wodonga to
155-641: A point which may probably be found to mark the junction of two fine streams. The European community grew up around a punt river crossing, which was established as early as 1846. This crossing serviced the growing agricultural area, and was the only river crossing for 100 km. The Post Office opened here on 1 February 1849. In 1853 Francis Cadell navigated the Murray river from its mouth in South Australia to Swan Hill in his paddle steamer , Lady Augusta. He arrived on 17 September 1853, narrowly beating William Randell of Mannum , who arrived 4 hours later in
186-430: A population of 11,508. The area was given its current name by explorer Thomas Mitchell , while camping beside a hill on 21 June 1836. Among the reeds on the point of ground between the two rivers was a shallow lagoon where swans and other wild fowl so abounded that, although half a mile from our camp, their noise disturbed us through the night. I therefore named this somewhat remarkable and isolated feature Swan Hill,
217-680: A static display within the compound.) The PV Pyap operates daily cruises from the Horseshoe Bend Wharf within the Settlement. Original built in Mannum as a barge in 1896, the Pyap was converted to a paddle steamer by October 1897. Prior to relocation to the Pioneer Settlement in 1970, the Pyap was refitted with a 225 hp GM671 Gray Marine diesel engine. In 1994 an act of Parliament brought
248-521: Is a 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) gauge railway line in north-western Victoria , Australia. It branches off the Deniliquin line just north of Bendigo , and runs in a north-westerly direction through Pyramid Hill and Kerang to the border town of Swan Hill , then roughly parallels the New South Wales border to Piangil and Yungera . The line is now open only as far as Piangil, and passenger services only operate to Swan Hill. The line
279-620: Is a salt lake, from which a coarse salt is obtained and exported to Riverina and the Upper Murray. There is a mail three times a week, and the township is already connected with the metropolis by telegraph. In 1883 the first of several red brick water towers was built to supply the growing town with water. Water was pumped out of the river and into the top of the tower by a wood-fired steam engine, and then flowed by gravitation to surrounding businesses and private residences. Many of these towers can still be seen around town. The railway from Bendigo
310-473: Is also the home to two football clubs, the Swan Hill "Swans" and the Tyntynder "Bulldogs". Swan Hill also has Futsal Swan Hill providing senior futsal in Swan Hill, both men's and women's leagues, 2 men's divisions and 1 women's division. Established in 1995 the competition regularly features over 30 teams each season. The Swan Hill Junior Soccer League that consists of over 500 children. They also field 3 teams in
341-400: Is now Riverside Park. The expedition stayed in Swan Hill until Monday, 10 September while they reorganised the stores. Burke dismissed four men; Essau Khan, Brooks, Lane and John Polongeaux. He then hired Alexander McPherson, a saddler from Epsom and Charlie Gray, a former sailor from Scotland who had worked as an ostler for Cobb and Co between Bendigo and Swan Hill and who was now employed at
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#1733092356450372-450: Is only served by one weekday service to Swan Hill, and Kangaroo Flat is only served on weekdays. All Swan Hill services stop at all other operating stations, both picking up and setting down passengers. The Swan Hill line is one of the two remaining lines that uses the loco hauled V/Line N class with N type carriages as services to Albury, Bairnsdale and Shepparton are all operated by V/Line VLocity as of October 2024 On 5 June 2007,
403-506: Is the principal building in the place. There is a church built of brick, belonging to the Church of England, and a small wooden chapel owned by some other denomination. The hospital, for Swan-hill can also boast of a hospital, is prettily situated at the junction of the Little Murray with the main stream. The district around the town is principally pastoral. About 10 or 12 miles distant there
434-563: Is well known for its anti-drug program. Tertiary education is delivered by Sunraysia Institute of TAFE . Its main campus is at Tower Hill, and it runs a farm north of the city. As well as its own courses, it offers a Deakin University program. The Victoria P-12 College of Koorie Education—Payika Campus is now actually a Flo Program, linked to Swan Hill College. Swan Hill is the heart of the Central Murray Football League . It
465-401: The New South Wales border at the Murray River to Stony Crossing in 1928. Passenger services on the section beyond Murrabit had ended by 1932, and all services were suspended in 1943. Passenger services to Murrabit had ceased by the end of 1941, and the line to Murrabit closed in 1961. The last passenger service from Swan Hill to Woorinen, a service for school children that was paid for by
496-732: The Platypus " by the Wemba Wamba people. Their language is the Wemba Wemba language, and the sub dialect is Bura Bura. At the time of the 2021 census, 4.5% of people in Swan Hill identified as Indigenous. The average for Victoria is 1% and Australia overall is 3.2%. The town is situated on the Northern Plains Grassland . Swan Hill gives its name to a wine region straddling the Murray River. The vines are predominantly irrigated from
527-1070: The Regional Rail Revival program, a new station at Raywood opened on 17 July 2022, replacing the old station 100 metres (110 yd) down the track. Some Bendigo V/Line passenger trains extend their services to Eaglehawk on weekdays. Dedicated Swan Hill passenger services serve the remainder of the operating stations on the line and Eaglehawk. 80km/h at North Bendigo Junction - Bendigo and From (Swan Hill) Bryan Street PCR to Swan Hill Station 90km/h from Victoria Street PCR (Kerang) to Bryan Street PCR (Swan Hill) Two services operate daily in each direction between Swan Hill and Southern Cross station in Melbourne. In metropolitan Melbourne, services only stop at Watergardens and Footscray stations, setting down passengers only on services to Southern Cross and picking up passengers only on services to Swan Hill. Outside Melbourne, services do not stop at Macedon , Riddells Creek or Clarkefield . Malmsbury
558-747: The Bendigo Amateur Soccer League where their Senior Men's Division 2 Team won the Knock-Out Cup in 2006. The Youth Team has come runner up in the Knock-Out Cup competition in both 2006 and 2008. The Senior Women's team came runner up in 2008. Swan Hill has a horse racing club , the Swan Hill Jockey Club, which schedules around ten race meetings a year including the Swan Hill Cup meeting in June. The Swan Hill St Patricks Race Club also holds
589-496: The Lower Murray Inn in Swan Hill. The party was strengthened further by the arrival from Melbourne of journalist William Hodgkinson, and scientist Georg von Neumayer . The local inhabitants gave the expedition a rousing farewell as they crossed into New South Wales. Folklore alleges Burke and Wills planted a Moreton Bay Fig tree in the garden of the local doctor, Dr B W Gummow. The tree is now approximately 27 metres high and has
620-529: The Murray River near Swan Hill. The Chinese had been growing rice in Australia since at least 1877. Swan Hill became a city in 1965. The Burke and Wills expedition reached Swan Hill on Thursday, 6 September 1860 on their journey across Australia from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria . They made Camp XV (their fifteenth camp out of Melbourne) in the police paddock on the banks of the Murray River in an area that
651-469: The PS Mary Ann. This demonstrated the feasibility of river traffic, which flourished until the introduction of the railway. In 1876 Swan Hill was described in the following terms: Swan-hill is a small, and, notwithstanding its 20 or 25 years of existence, not very flourishing, township… The population does not exceed 100 persons, but the township can boast of a substantial post and telegraph office, which
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#1733092356450682-549: The Settlement under the control of the Swan Hill City Council. 35°20′50″S 143°33′53″E / 35.3472°S 143.5646°E / -35.3472; 143.5646 Swan Hill Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River , downstream from the junction of the Loddon River . At the 2021 census , Swan Hill had
713-485: The Victorian Education Department and run by a 102 hp (76 kW) Walker railmotor , was withdrawn on 17 December 1976. The last passenger service from Swan Hill to Piangil ran on 24 December 1976, again using a 102 hp Walker. Both services were replaced by coaches. In April 2008, it was announced that the Swan Hill – Piangil section of the track, along with six other lines, would be upgraded under
744-472: The cod. This chase is part of the mythology of the creation of the Murray River . Based on evidence from Coobool Creek and Kow Swamp , it appears that Aboriginal people have lived in the area for the last 13,000–9,000 years. The area is inhabited by the Wemba-Wemba (or Wamba-Wamba ), Latji Latji , Tatti Tatti , Waddi Waddi and Barapa Barapa people. Swan Hill was called "Matakupaat" or "place of
775-887: The east and Mildura in the west, the Loddon Valley Highway (B260) links Swan Hill to Bendigo to the south. V/Line operates passenger rail services on the Swan Hill line , with the local railway station being the terminus. The Swan Hill Airport is also nearby. Swan Hill also has its own public bus network. Swan Hill has one locally produced newspaper, The Swan Hill Guardian , which has been circulating Swan Hill and surrounding regions for almost 120 years. In addition to this, there are four local radio stations: 99.1 Smart FM (3SFM); ABC Mildura Swan Hill (3MIL); 107.7 Mixx FM (3SHI) and AM station 1332 3SH . Swan Hill's television stations are identical to Bendigo's: ABC , Prime , WIN , Southern Cross Ten and SBS . Yungera railway line The Piangil railway line
806-529: The first tractor ever brought to Australia – and historic vehicles, and two 19th-century riverboats, including the 1876 paddlesteamer PS Gem . This vessel was towed to the site in 1963, and now functions as the main entrance and contains a restaurant. The PS Gem was towed by the PS Oscar W to the Pioneer Settlement in 1962 following her sale for £4000 to the Swan Hill Folk Museum. She now exists as
837-608: The former route beyond Piangil, including all of it beyond Kooloonong, are preserved as the Piangil Yungera Railway Bushland Reserve. The Koondrook branch line , built and operated by the Shire of Kerang , was opened in 1886. It was acquired by the Victorian Railways in 1952 and closed in 1981. Under the 1922 Border Railways Act , a branch opened from Kerang to Murrabit in 1924, which was extended across
868-440: The population are Indigenous. In Swan Hill there are four primary schools, two secondary schools and three schools which run both primary and secondary syllabuses. These are Swan Hill College, MacKillop College , St Mary's Primary School, Swan Hill Primary School, Swan Hill North Primary School, Son Centre Christian School, Victorian P-12 College of Koorie Education - Payika Campus and Swan Hill Specialist School. Swan Hill College
899-514: The river. Swan Hill has a cold semi-arid climate ( BSk ) with hot sunny summers and cool, partly cloudy winters. Afternoon dew points are extremely low in the warmer months, particularly from October to December, due in part to the frequency of dry cold fronts out of the south-west. Around 88% of the people living in Swan Hill were born in Australia. Migrants account for around 12 per cent, these include Italy (1.4%); England (1.0%); New Zealand (0.4%); Scotland (0.3%) and Afghanistan (0.3%). 3.2% of
930-529: Was extended from Kerang to Swan Hill station in May 1890, being extended to Piangil in 1915. The punt river crossing was replaced by a timber truss, steel lift span bridge in 1896. The first six telephones were connected in Swan Hill on 2 October 1911. The National Bank was phone number 1. In 1914 Isaburo (Jo) Takasuka produced the first commercial rice crop in Australia. He grew Japanese (Japonica) varieties on 200 acres (81 ha) of flood prone land on
961-422: Was opened from its junction with the Deniliquin line , just north of Bendigo, to Raywood in 1882. It was progressively extended to Mitiamo in 1883, Pyramid and Kerang in 1884, and Swan Hill in 1890. The line from Swan Hill was extended to Piangil in 1915, Kooloonong in 1920, and Yungera in 1926. The section from Kooloonong to Yungera was closed in 1957, and from Piangil to Kooloonong in 1981. Parts of