Bacchus Marsh ( Wathawurrung: ''Pullerbopulloke'') is an urban centre and suburban locality in Victoria, Australia located approximately north west of the state capital

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

and west of Melton at a near equidistance to the major cities of Melbourne,

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

and

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...

. The population of the Bacchus Marsh urban area was 22,223 at June 2018. Bacchus Marsh is the largest urban area in the local government area of

Shire of Moorabool The Shire of Moorabool is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 34,158. It includes the towns of Ballan, Bacchus Marsh, Balliang, M ...

. Traditionally a

market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to som ...

area producing a large amount of the region's

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particul ...

and

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the edible flower, flowers, ...

, in recent decades it has transformed into the main

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many ...

on the Melbourne-

corridor. It was named after the colonial settler Captain William Henry Bacchus, who saw the great value of this locality as it was situated on two rivers — the Lerderderg and

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werribee i ...

History

Aboriginal

Bacchus Marsh is on the border between the

Woiwurrung The Woiwurrung, also spelt Woi Wurrung, Woiwurrong, Woiworung, Wuywurung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance. The Woiwurrung people's territory in Central Victoria extended from north of ...

and

Wathaurong The Wathaurong nation, also called the Wathaurung, Wadawurrung and Wadda Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people living in the area near Melbourne, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula in the state of Victoria. They are part of the Kulin ...

territories of the

Kulin Nation The Kulin nation is an alliance of five Aboriginal nations in south central Victoria, Australia. Their collective territory extends around Port Phillip and Western Port, up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River vall ...

. The local clans were the Marpeang balug of the Wathaurong, and the Gunung-willam-bulluk (Wurundjeri) of the Woiwurrung. Bacchus Marsh was a meeting ground for anywhere between 150 and 400

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

s even after white settlement, and

corroboree A corroboree is a generic word for a meeting of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It may be a sacred ceremony, a festive celebration, or of a warlike character. A word coined by the first British settlers in the Sydney area from a word in the ...

s were held quite regularly. While there do not appear to be any records of open hostilities between whites and indigenous people, by 1863 there were a total of only 33 Aboriginal people left in the Bacchus Marsh district, and apart from a handful of recollections of the original inhabitants preserved by pioneer settlers, sadly little remains apart from present-day locality names, mainly of watercourses: Coimadai, Djerriwarrh, Korkuperrimul, Lerderderg, Merrimu, Myrniong, Werribee.Cited by Betty Osborn The Wathawurrung name for the area is ''Pullerbopulloke'' with 'buluk' meaning lake.

European settlement

One of the first white men to reach the Bacchus Marsh valley was pastoralist Kenneth Scobie Clarke (c. 1806–79), a native of

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire ( ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. Clarke was a manager for the Great Lake Company of

Van Diemen’s Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...

and arrived in the

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completel ...

District from George Town on 25 March 1836. Captain Bacchus credited Clarke as being the first man to shear sheep in Victoria, although the Hentys had arrived in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

with their sheep some two years earlier. On 29 November 1836, Clarke headed west from Port Phillip with a large flock of sheep, arriving in the Bacchus Marsh district a few days later. He built a hut on the west bank of the Lerderderg River near Darley, and lived there until early 1838. According to pastoralist George Russell, Clarke had acted on information obtained from Mr Aitken, an

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

man, who was most put out when he discovered that Clarke had beaten him to the Pentland Hills run.''The Narrative of George Russell of Golf Hill'', cited by Betty Osborn in Capt William Bacchus

In 1838, Englishman Captain William Henry Bacchus (1782–1849, originally of the

2nd Royal Surrey Militia The 2nd Royal Surrey Militia, later the 3rd Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) was an auxiliary regiment raised in Surrey in the Home counties of England. From its formal creation in 1797 the regiment served in home defence in all of ...

) and his son William Henry Bacchus junior (1820–87) also brought sheep from

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and came to the district which now bears their name. On their arrival, Clarke made an arrangement with them and ceded his run, moving to the nearby hills known as the Pentlands. The then very swampy valley was not really suitable for sheep, as they were prone to footrot. Clarke stayed in the district until 1840 or 1841, and later went to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

, where he died in 1879. As all land within of a

squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

’s hut was considered to belong to him, Bacchus and his son immediately set about consolidating their land holdings. By 1839–40, they had a homestead and four outstations on the Lardedark run, which in 1845 covered about and carried nearly 3,000 sheep. Between 1845–47 Captain Bacchus built the Manor House, a two-storey Georgian brick building that still stands in the township today. Captain Bacchus died in 1849 and was buried in what later became the grounds of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Gisborne Road. By 1851, Henry Bacchus junior had sold his holdings in Bacchus Marsh and moved to ''Peerewur'' (or ''Perewerrh'') run near

. Situated roughly halfway between Melbourne and Ballarat, Bacchus Marsh was a popular stopover for travellers during the

Victorian Gold Rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony, and an influx of population growth and financial capita ...

. Diarist Charles Evans described the location in 1853:

19th century to present

The township was originally known as Ballan, a Post Office opening under that name around July 1844 (Bacchus Marsh from 1 July 1850). The Bacchus Marsh Road District Board was proclaimed on 30 September 1856, with one of its first tasks being to construct a gravel road through the town, as at that time the road was barely passable in winter. Bacchus Marsh was created a district on 14 October 1862, and the Road Board was the governing body until the Shire of Bacchus Marsh was proclaimed on 23 January 1871. The railway came to Bacchus Marsh on 15 February 1887, and the through line to Ballarat was built in 1890.' During the 1970s and 1980s it was home to the Bacchus Marsh Lion and Tiger Safari. In 1994 the Shire of Bacchus Marsh was amalgamated with the Shire of Ballan and parts of the Shires of Bungaree and Werribee to form the Shire of Moorabool.

Bacchus Marsh and its suburbs form the largest settlement in Moorabool Shire. Bacchus Marsh grew rapidly from the 1990s.

Heritage listed sites

Bacchus Marsh contains a number of heritage listed sites, including: * Bacchus Marsh Road, Bacchus Marsh Avenue of Honour * 123 Main Street,

Bacchus Marsh Court House In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

* 8 Gisborne Road and 8 Church Street, Bacchus Marsh Express Office and Printing Works * 119 Main Street,

Bacchus Marsh Police Station and Old Lock-Up In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Roman ...

* 100–102 Main Street, Blacksmith's Cottage and Shop * 12 Ellerslie Court, Ellerslie * 28–32 Manor Street,

Manor House A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals with ...

* 37 Grant Street,

Millbank Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster. Millbank is known as the location of major government offices, Burberry headquarters, the Mi ...

* 6 Gisborne Road, Residence * 10 Gisborne Road, Residence In addition, a

Pioneer Women's Memorial Avenue The Pioneer Women's Memorial Avenue, located in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia commemorates the contributions of women to the development of the area. The Avenue was originally planted in 1936, the centenary of the settlement of Bacchus Mars ...

commemorates the lives of the women of the Bacchus Marsh area.

Urban structure

At June 2018, Bacchus Marsh had a population of 22,223. According to the

2016 census Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...

of Population, the Bacchus Marsh Significant Urban Area recorded the following highlights: * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.3% of the population. * 81.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 3.5%, New Zealand 1.4%, India 0.8%, Scotland 0.6% and Germany 0.5%. * 88.2% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 0.5% and Punjabi 0.5%. * The most common responses for religion were No Religion 35.7%, Catholic 28.0% and Anglican 11.9%. CC-BY icon

Material was copied from this source, which is available under
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
It covers a large area in the Werribee Valley with its Central Business District centred along Main Street between Bennett Street to the north, Grant Street/Gisborne Road to the west, Young/Lord Streets to the east and Waddell/Simpson Streets to the south. Bacchus Marsh Village shopping centre is its main indoor

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

. The state suburb by the same name is home to 6,394 people and contains the central business district. The population of the urban area of Bacchus Marsh has grown by 34.6% over the decade leading to 2016. Beyond central Bacchus Marsh, suburban areas such as the former towns of Darley (1861) to the north and Maddingley to the south continue to grow rapidly. Housing development has also occurred in the natural extension of Bacchus Marsh like Underbank, and its surrounding areas including Parwan, Hopetoun Park and Merrimu.

Transport

Automobiles are the main form of transport. The Western Freeway which is the main route to both Melbourne (approximately 48 minutes) in the east and Ballarat (46 minutes) to the west. The freeway divides Bacchus Marsh and its northern suburb Darley. Three interchanges serve the urban area – the Gisborne Road (full- diamond) along with Hallets Way and Bacchus Marsh Road (both with a half-diamond). With the exception of the central business district and neighbouring areas, the majority of the urban area is laid out in a street hierarchy pattern with collector roads leading to the two major cross roads – Bacchus Marsh Road (C802) and Bacchus Marsh-Gisborne Road/Bacchus Marsh-Geelong Road (C704) which bear the majority of vehicular traffic. Until 2012, the entrance to the town from Melbourne was via Anthonys Cutting, a relatively steep downhill run, which is speed limited to 80 km/h. The freeway was realigned under the

Victorian Transport Plan The Victorian Transport Plan is a now defunct transport planning framework for the state of Victoria, Australia announced on 9 December 2008 by then Premier of Victoria, John Brumby. The plan was submitted to the Government of Australia for fun ...

bypassing Anthony's cutting, resulting in decreased travel time to Melbourne. The

Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh (Wathawurrung: ''Pullerbopulloke'') is an urban centre and suburban locality in Victoria, Australia located approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne and west of Melton at a near equidistance to the major cities of ...

station is on the

line.

V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...

provides VLocity services to

(from 38 minutes) and

(from 34 minutes). A

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

service connects the station with the town centre and other residential areas.

Bacchus Marsh Airfield Bacchus Marsh Airfield is located south of Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia. The airfield is owned by the Shire of Moorabool, but is operated by the Bacchus Marsh Airfield Management (BMAM). BMAM comprises representatives of the shire, air ...

(located in Parwan to the south) provides for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation service ...

and the area is home to a flying school and three

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is ...

clubs.

Recreation and open space

One of Bacchus Marsh’s principal recreation areas is Maddingley Park, which is a favourite picnic destination for both locals and visitors. Near the south gates of the park, opposite the Bacchus Marsh railway station, is the

Nieuwesteeg Heritage Rose Garden Nieuwesteeg Heritage Rose Garden is a collection of rare and unusual roses, mostly hybrid teas, bred in the early 20th century. It is located in Maddingley Park, Bacchus Marsh, a town and suburb some west of Melbourne and west of Melton. ...

of mainly twentieth century hybrid teas. Walks along the Lerderderg River provide access to the steep, rugged and overgrown

Lerderderg Gorge The Lerderderg Gorge is in Victoria, Australia and largely within the Lerderderg State Park. The Lerderderg River which emerges from the Great Dividing Range has cut a deep gorge as it winds toward the southern plains. It is suggested that the n ...

and the extensive Wombat State Park that surrounds it, criss-crossed by four-wheel drive tracks, extensive bushwalking amongst historic mining relics and natural bush.

is home to the largest site in Australia for recreational gliding.

Health services

The township of Bacchus Marsh is serviced by the Djerriwarrh Health Services (Bacchus Marsh Hospital) formerly, Bacchus Marsh War Memorial Hospital, and several general practice medical centres, including Bacchus Marsh Medical Centre located opposite the hospital in Turner Street and The Elms Family Medical Centre located at the Bacchus Marsh Village Shopping Centre on Main Street near the Avenue of Honour. The Elms Family Medical Centre was established in 1994 and is actively involved in the teaching and mentoring of future general practitioners. Doctors from both practices provide comprehensive medical care to patients at the Bacchus Marsh Hospital, as well as at the local Providence Aged Care Hostel and Grant Lodge Nursing Home. Both clinics have affiliations with the Deakin University School of Medicine through the hosting of third year medical students as part of the Integrated Model of Medical Education in Rural Settings (IMMERSE) program, with The Elms first having a medical student in 2011 and the Bacchus Marsh Medical Centre in 2014.

Education

Schools in Bacchus Marsh include: * Bacchus Marsh Primary School * Darley Primary School * Pentland Primary School * St Bernard's Primary School (Catholic) * Balliang East Primary * Bacchus Marsh College * Bacchus Marsh Grammar Adult & Vocational Education * Bacchus Marsh Community College aka The Laurels * Western Institute of Technology Community Learning * Darley Neighbourhood House & Learning Centre

Sports and community groups

* Australian rules football,

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

, Soccer and

Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

are all very popular. * Notable sporting teams include Darley Football Club and

Bacchus Marsh Football Club Bacchus Marsh Football and Netball Club is an Australian rules football and netball club, located in Bacchus Marsh in Victoria, Australia. The football squad competes in the Ballarat Football League, which is part of the Victorian Country F ...

who both compete in the

Ballarat Football League The Ballarat Football League (BFL) is an Australian rules football competition that operates in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia. The competition formed in 1893 as the Ballarat Football Association and was renamed Ballarat Football ...

. * Bacchus Marsh Tigers Baseball Club compete in the Geelong Baseball Association winter competition. *Bacchus Marsh Scorpions Soccer Club play at Masons Lane Reserve and compete in FFV metro and Ballarat and District Soccer Association. Soccer In Bacchus Marsh has grown to be one of the largest participation sports. * Another sport that has come popular over the years in Bacchus Marsh is the

Korfball Korfball ( nl, korfbal) is a ball sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. It is played by two teams of eight players with four female players and four male players in each team. The objective is to throw a ball into a netless baske ...

Association. * Golfers play at the Bacchus Marsh Golf Club on Links Road or at the Bacchus Marsh West Golf Club on Bacchus Marsh – Balliang Road. * The Bacchus Marsh Tennis Club maintains 9 artificial grass courts and 13 grass courts. It is a social venue for all groups and abilities, with well maintained multi-surface courts including grass, artificial grass and red porous. A full-time club coach is available for private and group lessons. * The airfield is also the home of three gliding clubs: Geelong Gliding Club, Melbourne Gliding Club (VMFG) and Beaufort Gliding Club. Pilots from these clubs have represented Australia in international gliding competitions.

Notable people

* William Symington C.E. (ca.1802 – 17 March 1867) inventor and son of steamboat pioneer William Symington. * Victorian Cross recipient Rupert Vance Moon Rupert Vance Moon#Memorial Garden * Physicist and professor Sir Kerr Grant (1878–1967) * Victorian

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

from 1927–1928 and 1929–1932,

Edmond Hogan Edmond John "Ned" Hogan (12 December 1883 – 23 August 1964) was an Australian politician who was the 30th Premier of Victoria. He was born in Wallace, Victoria, where his Irish-born parents were small farmers. After attending a Roman Catholi ...

(1883–1964) * Pianist and composer

Isabel Varney Desmond Peterson Varney Monk (born Isabel Varney Desmond Peterson; 18 January 1892 – 7 February 1967) was an Australian pianist and composer, best known for writing the musicals ''Collits' Inn'' (1932) and '' The Cedar Tree'' (1934). ''Collits' Inn'' was descr ...

(1892–1967) * Carlton Australian rules footballer Harry "Soapy" Vallence (1905–1991) * Author Frank Hardy (1917–1994) and his sister, actor and comedian Mary Hardy (1931–1985) * Dual

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...

winning author Peter Carey * Home to ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...

'' judge Helen Richey * AFL star Doug Hawkins (b. 1960) * AFL Footballer from

Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of Fr ...

Nick Suban Nicholas Suban (born 9 May 1990) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League. Originally from Bacchus Marsh, Victoria and of Slovenian origin, Suban captai ...

(b. 1990) * Actor Travis Burns (b. 1991) * Australian scientific illustrator, plant pathologist, mycologist (fungi specialist), university lecturer and dairy farmer

Charles Clifton Brittlebank Charles Clifton Brittlebank (1 Jan 1863 – 3 Nov 1945) was an Australian plant pathologist, mycologist (fungi specialist), scientific illustrator, university lecturer and farmer (near Bacchus Marsh, Victoria). In all of his endeavours he beca ...

(1 Jan 1863 – 3 Nov 1945) *AFL player Zak Butters (b. 2000) *AFL player Liam Duggan (b. 1996) *Botanist Lesley R. Kerr (1900–1927) who formulated the term and analysis of ''

Lignotuber A lignotuber is a woody swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem, such as by fire. Other woody plants may develop basal burls as a similar survival strategy, often as a response t ...

s'' in Eucalyptus

References

External links

Bacchus Marsh & District Historical Society Inc.Bacchus Marsh Tourism Association Inc.

{{authority control Bacchus Marsh, Towns in Victoria (Australia)