Swan Marsh is a town in the Western District

Western District

The Western District is a region of Australia located in the south-west corner of the state of Victoria, extending to Ballarat in the east and as far north as Ararat where it borders the Wimmera region. To the south, the district extends to Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean and to the west it...

 of Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia. The town is located in the Colac Otway Shire

Colac Otway Shire

Colac Otway Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the south-western part of the state. It includes the towns of Apollo Bay and Colac. It has an area of 3,416 square kilometres. In 2006 it had a population of 20,295...

 local government area, 168 kilometres (104.4 mi) south west of the state capital, Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

.

The area around Swan Marsh was first settled by Europeans in the mid 19th century. The area was described as "“wet, marshy land, forest and some beautiful cleared rich gently sloping high land." The swamps were drained using bullock

Bullock

Bullock may refer to:* Bullock , a castrated male bovine animal of any age: see cattle* Bullock , a young bull...

 teams and hand labour to install large drains—the beginnings of the Tirrengower Drainage Scheme. The name "Swan Marsh" was derived from the swans prevalent in the local area. In 1907, the area saw closer settlement with 60 acres (24.3 ha) blocks created and allocated mainly to young families. The Swan Marsh dairy, operated by the Colac and District Company, was built in 1901. From the 1930s to its closure in 1956, the dairy produced casein

Casein

Casein is the name for a family of related phosphoprotein proteins . These proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk and between 60% and 65% of the proteins in human milk....

.

Swan Marsh today has four businesses: the post office, the general store/take away food outlet, a peat

Peat

Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

 mine and a water carter. Community facilities include the football ground/recreation reserve, public hall, tennis courts and a speedway

Motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...

 circuit. The town hosts a Country Fire Authority

Country Fire Authority

Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...

volunteer brigade. Swan Marsh Primary School services the town.