| Swifts Creek is situated on
one of Australia's greatest drives, the stunning Great Alpine Rd in Far East Gippsland, Victoria, some 370km east of
Melbourne by road.
It is located around 100km north of both the rural centre of Bairnsdale, and
seaside resort of Lakes Entrance. About 70km northwest are the alpine resorts of Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain.
Other local towns are Omeo (27km N), Ensay (17km S), and Benambra (50km
N). Click here to view maps showing the
location of Swifts Creek.
The area has
been inhabited by Aboriginal people for thousands of years, and was
particularly popular with the local tribes over the summer months when
food was plentiful.
The first white settlers came in the 1830s
around the time Melbourne was established. These settlers were originally
seasonal, mainly cattlemen heading across the mountains from the Monaro
region of NSW looking for summer pastures for their stock. Permanent
settlement is recorded from as early as the mid-1830s.
The area boomed with the gold
rushes of the 1850s. Gold prospecting continued as a serious enterprise
until the early 1900s, and nearby Omeo became notorious as reputedly the most
'lawless' town in Australia at the time. Historic remnants from this era
are still to be found throughout the district.
It was over this period that the district
knew its greatest population, and also when most of the facilities,
including a large number of schools, were established. There were
once over a dozen primary schools in the region, but there is now only
Omeo and Swifts Creek Primaries remaining, along with SCSC.
Following the gold rush, the district continued largely as a
farming and timber region. These industries continue today, however
the region is responding to the burgeoning tourism market.
There
are many tourist attractions around the local areas, especially for
outdoor enthusiasts. Popular events include the Omeo Show in
mid-November, Swifts Creeks' Up The Creek Discovery Festival on
the the Australia Day Weekend in January, and the Swifts Creek and
Hinnomunjie Picnic
Races on the Labour Day weekend in March.
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Swifts Creek town and the Tambo Valley
The Tambo River south of Swifts Creek
Streetscape of the feeder town of Omeo
Winter fun on the nearby snowfields
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