The area had previously been part of the electoral districts of Wimmera (1851-89), Crowlands (1858-77), and Donald & Swan Hill (1889-1904).
At its beginning in 1904, the district spanned the Victorian Mallee region, covering not only Swan Hill and its surrounds, but also the Mildura area.
At its end in 2014, the district included the towns of Birchip, Charlton, Donald, Kerang, Murtoa, St Arnaud, Sea Lake, Warracknabeal, Wedderburn and Wycheproof, as well as the titular city of Swan Hill.
Natural features of the electorate included Lake Tyrrell and the Murray River, which was a popular tourist destination and the centre of a flourishing irrigation area.
Due to the region making up an increasingly smaller proportion of the state's population, in 2014 it became part of the electoral district of Murray Plains.