The locality is in the Shire of Glenelg, 352 kilometres (219 mi) west of the state capital, Melbourne.

[3] In 1841, brothers William and John Robertson, from Inverness-shire, Scotland, occupied land in the area as a pastoral run.

Their older brother, Angus, took over the running of the property in 1852 after arriving from Scotland with his wife and six children.

The estate had an area of 1,613 acres (653 ha) and was about 5 miles (8 km) north-east of the town of Merino.

[4] The settlement was named Paschendale, after Passchendaele in Belgium, the scene of intense fighting during World War I.