Bacchus Marsh, Victoria
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Bacchus Marsh is a town in Victoria, Australia. Its local governing area is the Moorabool Shire. 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. Bacchus, who saw the great value of this locality as it was situated on two rivers—the Lerderderg and Werribee.
The town was proclaimed in 1951, when the towns of Darley and Maddingley were merged. 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.
Travelling from Melbourne via the Western Freeway, the town appears as one drops into the valley via Anthony's Cutting. The other nearby feature is the small stone bridge that crosses Djerriwarrh Creek. This historic bridge was built by Irish immigrants in the 1850s to assist travel to the Ballarat goldfields. One of its builders, Richard Griffith, decided to remain in the area and his family still works the farm that surrounds the bridge reserve.
Bacchus Marsh has its own railway station (terminus for some peak trains) and has a population of approximately 23,000. A feature of the town is the Avenue of Honour— several kilometres of trees planted along the main road from Melbourne, to honour those who lost their lives in the Great War. One of its principal recreation areas is Maddingley Park, which is a favourite picnic destination for both locals and visitors.
Bacchus Marsh is situated between Melbourne and Ballarat and is the next town after Melton.
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