Billabong Creek runs along the southern edge of town, lending its name to the local high school.

European settlement of Culcairn began in 1834, following favorable reports on grazing potential and grass cover by the explorers Hume and Hovell when traveling overland to the Port Phillip district in 1824.

A number of stations were gazetted and between 1862 and 1865 the district was terrorized by the bushranger, Dan "Mad Dog" Morgan.

[2] The town itself was laid out in 1880 by James Balfour, a local landowner, who named it after a property in the parish of Kiltearn, his mother's birthplace.

[6] It is also known to home of AFL draft prospects Riley Grogan and Thomas O'Keeffe In 1916, a 21 year old former player, Private Dan Dalahunty was killed in action, was one of the "Men of the Dardanelles".

Founded in 1946, the club wore green and gold jerseys similar to the Australian national rugby league team.