Swan Hill was first explored by that indefatigable Surveyor General of New South Wales, Major Thomas Mitchell, in 1836.
As predicted by Mitchell, landowners in the Swan Hill area were irrigating their lands as early as the 1880s and the planting of muscats and sultanas for dried fruit production in the Nyah district commenced in 1900. After the second World War, many Sicilian immigrants planted wine grapes and stone fruits in the district. There are now three wineries operating in the region.
The region is generally flat. Calcareous earths are quite common throughout. These consist of red-brown loamy sand, sandy loam (Tachera) or loam surface soils above subsoils of sandy clayey loams. Swan Hill is a hot region, but its slightly cooler than Sunraysia and has higher natural rainfall. There are no major climatic problems.
The principal grape varieties are Chardonnay, Colombard, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Sultana, Muscat Gordo Blanco and Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Mataro. Major wine styles are Shiraz and Chardonnay.
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