The town is located 250 kilometres (155 mi) south west of the state capital, Melbourne, on the Hopkins Highway midway between Warrnambool and Mortlake.

[1] Purnim Post Office opened on 1 November 1868.

[2] Buildings of interest are the Purnim Hotel, Purnim Mechanics Institute hall (built in 1901), the Australian rules football oval, the primary school, and a church.

[citation needed] The formally recognised traditional owners for the area in which Purnim sits are the Eastern Maar people,[3] who are represented by the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC).

This article about a location in Barwon South West (region) is a stub.