BACCHUS MARSH HISTORY
Welcome to the Bacchus Marsh History Website.
This site explores historical aspects of the town and surrounding area of Bacchus Marsh,
a community of 20,000 people (as of 2016) located 54 km west of
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Bacchus Marsh is located in a fertile valley through which
the Lerderderg and the Werribee rivers both pass.
The Werribee River is the dividing line between two Aboriginal Countries;
the Wurundjeri north of the Werribee River,
and the Wadawurrung, south of the Werribee River.
The first European to come to the area was Kenneth Scobie Clark who arrived 1836. Soon after his arrival came William Bacchus after whom the town is named. After gold was discovered in the Ballarat region in 1851 the town became an important stopping point for travellers to and from the goldfields. Over time industries developed in the area such as wheat and dairy farming, quarries, and then orchards, market gardens and coal mines.
The town was connected by railway to Melbourne in 1887. The advent of motor transport, improved roads and increased rail services has gradually led to Bacchus Marsh developing as a commuter community for Melbourne based workers who prefer a rural township lifestyle.
The town also has a significant literary heritage, being the birthplace and childhood home of one of Australia's most acclaimed writers, Peter Carey, a two-time winner of the Booker Prize for literature. Frank Hardy, most famous as author of Power Without Glory, also grew up in the town. Other writers to have written about the area, or to have lived here, include Joan Lindsay and Sumner Locke Elliott.
Today the town continues to grow and prosper, with the proximity to Melbourne, relatively cheap housing, and scenic surroundings, continuing to attract new residents.
This site is created out of our own interest in our town.
Please click below for the official website of the
Bacchus Marsh and District Historical Society.