1. Swan Hill Region Food and Wine Festival
One of the highlights of the region’s events calendar, the festival staged each March celebrates much of what is truly great about this region.
Three days of festivities, events, tastings and entertainment can be enjoyed by all the family.
An evening cruise on the PS Pyap is followed by a showcase of local food and wine the following day at the iconic pioneer Settlement.
2. PS Pyap
One of those things you simply have to do in Swan Hill is head down to the wharf at the Pioneer Settlement for a lazy trip along the river.
The trusty PS Pyap vessel started its life as a floating general store and is now a highly appropriate way to take in the beauty of the riverbanks outside Swan Hill.
An interesting fact about this paddle steamer is that even though it measures 30 metres long and almost five metres wide, the shallow draft of its hull allows it to navigate waters as shallow as just one metre.
The cruise lasts an hour and takes you upstream, past the iconic Murray Downs homestead, built in stages from the 1860s to the 1890s.
Take in the beautiful natural sights and the wonderful local history dictated to you by the captain himself.
3. Heartbeat of the Murray
This truly is an experience like no other. Recent winner of the International Laser Design Association’s prestigious award for multi-media shows, and set on the banks of the Little Murray River, the world-class ‘Heartbeat of the Murray’ is a 360-degree multi-media spectacular unlike anything ever seen in Australia.
Using water, light, laser, sound and special effects to tell the story of the Murray, you’ll be transported back 30 million years, before travelling forward through time to the Murray River as we know it today.
This state-of-the-art show is the first of its kind in the world to use a natural river environment and setting as the background.
Heartbeat of the Murray takes place at Riverside Theatre.
4. Swan Hill Town Hall and Performing Arts Centre
This iconic building is a hub for arts, culture and performance.
Built in 1935, the Swan Hill Town Hall/Performing Arts Centre plays host to music and comedic acts, touring performances and shows and deb balls.
5. Bet365 Swan Hill June Racing Carnival
The June Racing Carnival has established itself as a well-loved and sought out racing carnival in country Victoria.
All local accommodation options book out months in advance, so get your booking in early.
Record attendance numbers increase each year with 10,500 racegoers attending over the three-day Carnival in 2019 and a huge crowd of over 5,700 people on Cup Day Sunday, confirming this is a prominent long weekend on the Country Racing calendar.
The Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June kicks off with the famous Pooles Accountants $150,000 Golden Topaz run on Friday.
Saturday is the Swan Hill BusBiz Family Fun Day incorporating the Quambatook Cup, followed on Sunday with the big event, the bet365 Swan Hill Cup with increased prize money now valued at $175,000. At the Swan Hill Jockey Club, they ‘do it for the love of horses’.
6. Andrew Peace Wines
This highly regarded winery is in striking distance of Swan Hill, right on the Murray at Piangil, VIC.
Andrew Peace is a large-scale producer, but is committed to sustainability, generating 200kw through solar panels, and reusing 100 per cent of wastewater.
Since the early 1980s and through three generations, the winery has progressed to one of Australia’s top family owned wine companies, selling over a million cases in its lifetime and crushing more than 30,000 tonnes of grapes each year.
Andrew Peace wines has a massive range, dominated by Shiraz and Chardonnay.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a mass production facility in action you can arrange a tour, or you could simply drop by the cellar door for tastings and sales.
7. Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery
Recognised as having one of Australia’s most comprehensive collections of naïve art, Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery is situated adjacent to the Marraboor River in Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia in a unique purpose built gallery.
Come along and take in the array of exciting and unique exhibitions that can be enjoyed all year round.
8. Nyah-Vinifera State Forest
Boasts over 1000 hectares of protected forests and native bushland alone the Murray River.
It is a popular spot for fishing, four wheel driving and walking.
The park provides direct access to the Murray River, so it is a great place to enjoy water-based activities on camping or caravanning trip.
9. Swan Hill River Walk
Give yourself time to see more of the Murray riverside in Swan Hill on this trail that extends for several kilometres and begins in the very north of the town at Miloo Street.
The Pioneer Settlement is just one of the many compelling manmade sights to go with the natural beauty of the Murray.
There are lots of locations harking back to when Swan Hill was a bustling port, like the remarkable Lift Bridge (1896).
The first crossing of its kind on the Murray, this bridge was designed with a central span that could be raised to allow paddle steamers to pass through.
There are interpretive boards all along the route highlighting the human and natural history of the area, including the Wati-Wati and Wemba-Wemba people who have been in the region for up to 13,000 years.
10. Local Markets
Everyone loves market to meander through on a lazy week-end.
Swan Hill is in the heart of the Murray food bowl and Swan Hill’s fresh produce can be found plated up throughout the region at the many regular markets.
The markets in and close by to Swan Hill are well worth a visit.
Friday nights (November to March): Lake Boga Farmers Market
1st Saturday: Murrabit Markets
1st Sunday: Swan Hill Farmers Market
2nd Saturday: Nyah District Lions Country Market
2nd Saturday: Robinvale Community Market
3rd Saturday: Swan Hill Anglican Boot Sale
3rd Sunday: Swan Hill Rotary Market
October: Swan Hill Annual Market Day
