Bacchus Marsh
Postcode: 3340
Bacchus Marsh is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Local government area of Moorabool Shire, and is located approximately 50 km west of Melbourne and 14 km west of Melton, with a population of approximately 14,000.
It is traditionally a market garden area, producing a lot of the area’s fruit and vegetables. The town was named after one of its original inhabitants, Capt. William Henry Bacchus, who saw the great value of this locality as it was situated on two rivers— the Lerderderg and Werribee.
Travelling from Melbourne via the Western Freeway, the town appears as one drops into the valley via Anthony’s Cutting.
The Bacchus Marsh station is on the Ballarat line and is linked by the V/Line Regional Fast Rail project to Melbourne. A bus service connects the station with the town centre and other residential areas.
The Western Freeway linking Melbourne and Ballarat bypasses through Bacchus Marsh, separating the Darley locality from the rest of town.
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.
Darley existed north of the Werribee River, and still exists as an area of Bacchus Marsh. It was surveyed and proclaimed in 1861 and was initially an agricultural settlement. Maddingley existed south of the Werribee River, and was surveyed prior to 1861. The name is still reflected in roads, such as South Maddingley Road and East Maddingley Road, as well as the Maddingley Brown Coal Open Cut Mine.