Located on a bend in the Wimmera River, Horsham is approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) northwest of the state capital Melbourne.

It is the eleventh largest city in Victoria after Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Wodonga, Mildura, Shepparton, Warrnambool, Traralgon, and Wangaratta.

[5] Then "around the time of the arrival of the First Fleet, the Jardwa people were being forced south by either a Murray or northern Victorian tribe called the Wotjol".

[5] Wimmera Aboriginal people hunted and traded widely, with stone for their tools coming up from the Grampians in the Ararat district.

"[13] George Langlands, a merchant from Melbourne was encouraged by James Darlot to move to the Wimmera region and open a store.

[18] The Horsham Borough Council and the Shire of Wimmera operated the McKenzie Creek Tramway from the town to a stone quarry, approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) to the south.

[20] Geoffrey Blainey, notes in his History of Victoria, that the Victorian railway building boom of the 1870s enabled large-scale wheat production to begin in the Wimmera.

[18] He also describes a unique migration of German farmers, mostly Lutherans from South Australia, who travelled across east in covered-wagons along with their families and herds of cattle and then settled in the Wimmera district.

The war effort was enthusiastically embraced, for example in May 1940, when King George VI made a Commonwealth-wide call to prayer, 1,800 people attended a religious service at the town hall.

[22] Returning servicemen were again given the opportunity to take up land grants at the end of the war, with the average size of the blocks being between 650 and 750 acres (260 and 300 ha).

[27] The Horsham Streetscape was dramatically remodelled in the 1960s when planning laws were changed and shopfront verandahs were removed from the Post Office, The Bull and Mouth, and The White Hart pubs.

[31] The Victorian government has recognised the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagik nations as the traditional owners for the Horsham area.

A recent study in December 2017, found that the Millennium drought decimated the Platypus population in the River leaving only a solitary colony south of the weir.

The resulting wide diurnal range is characteristic of the BSk climate type; in summer the difference between the daily high temperature and the overnight minimum is frequently greater than 20 °C and may exceed 25 °C on sunny days following a cold front.

[37] Horsham typically experiences cool, relatively long winters where cloudy days featuring light, misty rain and drizzle are common.

Horsham records minimum temperatures below freezing (0 °C / 32 °F) on about 26 days annually; these occur almost exclusively between the months of May and October, with the majority between June and August.

The central business district (CBD) is laid out in a grid plan south of the train line and is characterised by wide streets and several roundabouts.

[39] Residential areas extend north of the train line, west towards Natimuk and south-west towards Haven and south-east across Burnt Creek.

Due to Horsham's location in the Murray Basin, the area to the east and south of the city contain extensive deposits of Mineral Sands, primarily ilmenite, zircon and rutile.

However, the Conservation Council of Australia opposed the exploration citing the long-term consequences of mining activity and the possibility of inadequate rehabilitation.

[44] In the Legislative Assembly of Victoria Horsham is part of the Electoral district of Lowan and is currently represented by Emma Kealy.

The Horsham Town Hall, rebuilt and enlarged in February 2016, is the city's main performing arts venue, attracting a wide range of national and international acts.

Introduced by local chef Alfonso Baviello in the mid 20th century and originally dubbed the Florentine, it can be purchased fresh at Horsham butcher shops or as a cooked meal in cafes and pubs.

[55] The Horsham Ministers Association established the Christian Emergency Food Centre on Firebrace Street[56] and help organise the annual Carols by Candlelight.

The assembly office is at 22B Pynsent Street in Horsham and staff can readily provide information and support on a variety of sports related topics.

[73] Technical education was re-introduced as part of the Horsham High School curriculum in 1959 and the nearby Longernong Agricultural College opened in 1889 at Dooen.

The Horsham Airport is located to the north of the city and hosts a variety of private aviation companies as well a depot for the Royal Flying Doctors Service.

[85] The Wimmera Development Association is based in Horsham, they gather economic data, lobby for improved infrastructure, organise events and encourage connections between local businesses and civic leaders.

[85] There are over a hundred retail outlets in Horsham of varying sizes, many independent, but some part of larger national or international chains, such as Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, Target, Kmart, Bunnings Warehouse, Harvey Norman, The Reject Shop, Best & Less, KFC, Hungry Jack's and McDonald's.

[89] The scope of research has become "a world leader in science and innovation...for barley, canola, field peas, lentils and chickpeas.”[89] Today the complex also hosts the Australian Grains Genebank, the Horsham Incident Control Centre service and depots for Agriculture Victoria, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and the Victorian Fisheries Authority.