Bairnsdale (locally /ˈbɛərnzdeɪl/)[3] (Ganai: Wy-yung)[4] is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, situated in a region traditionally inhabited by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people.

[5] Cultural Significance The Ganai (or Kurnai) word "Wy-yung" refers to a type of duck, specifically the Black Swan, which is often associated with waterfowl in Indigenous Australian languages, while the Bairnsdale backwater area is known as Kauan, meaning echidna.

Mount Taylor is a mountain located just north of Bairnsdale and is a well-known landmark in the region, visible from many miles away, and holds historical significance dating back to the mid-19th century gold rush era.

The area surrounding Mount Taylor was heavily impacted by the discovery of gold in local creeks and rivers in 1857, leading to extensive prospecting activities.

His prominent role in the 1839 Murdering Gully massacre in Western Victoria, meticulously chronicled, firmly casts him as a symbol of the most egregious aspects of our state's frontier era.

The geological narrative of eastern Victoria, where Mount Taylor resides, unfolds across an expanse of over 500 million years, tracing back to a primordial era when vast stretches of the region lay submerged beneath ancient oceanic waters.

[12] A comprehensive geological survey of Victoria's Great Dividing Range reveals a distinct north-south alignment in its bedrock, a vestige of the bygone epochs of plate tectonics.

This enduring geological framework, coupled with ongoing tectonic activity, contributes to the dynamic topography witnessed in the eastern Victorian landscape, including the majestic Australian Alps.

[14] The region around Mount Taylor experiences significant rainfall, ranging between 700-1200 mm per annum, influencing both the soil profiles and the types of vegetation that thrive in the area.

[15] The Strategic Management Plan quotes that about 100,000 tonnes of suspended solids (excluding bottom sediments) are estimated to enter the Gippsland Lakes each year from the catchments of the Mitchell, Tambo and Nicholson rivers alone.

[16] A colony of nationally Threatened Grey-headed flying foxes (pteropus poliocephalus) roosts along the river in poplars adjacent to Riverine St.

[23] According to tradition, the Tatungoloong clan of the Gunai/Kurnai peoples were the custodians of land and waters and used the aquatic and terrestrial habitats of the area as sources of food and the surrounding open forest for shelter.

[23] The marginal bluff marks the former shoreline position of Lake King and the relict gravel beaches and spits were formed by wave action.

[23] The extensive 'backswamp' forming Macleod Morass, the escarpment ('marginal bluff') along its western boundary, and relict gravel beaches and spits (e.g. Brownlow's Point) are important features providing evidence of once higher sea levels in Bass Strait.

[23] Water inflows to the morass are dominated by catchment run-off from Cobblers Creek and several smaller intermittent streams, urban stormwater from McGees Gully, and direct rainfall.

[28] Murals rivaling those of many European churches cover the walls and ceiling of St Mary's in Bairnsdale depicting saints, the trinity and scenes of hell, purgatory, heaven and the crucifixion.

The main garden section runs for over 500 metres (550 yd) through the central commercial district and features beds of flowering annuals and perennials, numerous mature deciduous and evergreen trees, war memorials and a restored historic band rotunda.

[7] The Country Women's Association (CWA) Younger set took over the beautification of the Centenary Garden in 1947 and planted a tree there in May of that year to commemorate the 21st birthday of Princess Elizabeth.

[7] In 1969 a wishing well that was carved by Bruce Duffy of the Technical School and financed by the Rotary was erected in the Centre Gardens adjacent to the Coles supermarket.

As well there are many kindergartens including Bairnsdale Childcare and Kinder [1], and Eastwood Early Learning Centre [2], but limited tertiary education facilities mainly consisting of the East Gippsland Institute of TAFE and Federation Training.

[7] Shipping services from Bairnsdale to metropolitan areas linked with the railway so local primary producers could send their goods off to the markets in the major centre of Melbourne.

As a consequence of the more frequent use of rail and the advent of refrigerated carts in 1890 which allowed dairy farmers and fishermen to appropriately transport their produce, the last coach service between Sale and Bairnsdale ran in 1889.

Almost 100 kilometres (62 miles) in length, the multi-use trail permits running, walking, cycling and horse-riding as it follows the alignment of the former railway line to Orbost.

[7] The Commonwealth Government gave high priority to developing new coastal airbases at Mallacoota and Bairnsdale to assist in protecting shipping lanes in Bass Strait.

[7] Later, John H. Grainger who designed the new Princes Bridge in Melbourne delivered plans to build a reservoir west of the township and for this to be connected to a pumping-plant and an elevated tank in the town itself.

Programs from the three main commercial television networks (Seven, Nine and Ten) are all re-broadcast into Bairnsdale by their regional affiliates – Seven (formerly Prime7) (AMV), WIN (VTV) and Southern Cross Austereo (GLV).

With its close proximity to the Gippsland Lakes and Ninety Mile Beach, along with easy access to the Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo rivers; Bairnsdale proves to be a popular destination for recreational anglers and good catches are reported regularly.

The Riviera triathlon club, based in Bairnsdale, run events all year round including the popular "mini tri's" on Wednesday nights at the BARC between October and March.

[56] Tennyson Smith, the ardent prohibitionist, evangelist and teetotaller[57] visited Bairnsdale in February 1920 and gained many supporters when he initiated a branch of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

The movement was unsuccessful when they met with a violent opposition who interrupted meetings and threw stones at Tennyson as he returned to Adelaide House (171 Main Street) where they broke windows and tried to gain access to the building.