The most suitable place to erect a port was the southernmost point of the island where a large and deep estuary (formed by the Savanne River), without coral reefs, would permit the vessels to accost nearest to the land.

In the late 1980s, there was an expansion of the village with the vast majority of an ancient small sugarcane fields labourers locality called "Terracine" (which has now been almost completely destroyed) given land in the northern part of the village to build their houses.

Further expansions occurred when the inhabitants of another sugarcane field labourers locality called "Combo" were moved to Souillac.

Although there is no official apportionment of the village, the local people often distinguish the parts of the village as follows: quartiers of Terracine, Combo, Brise de Mer, L'église, Pitot, Cité Gris-gris, Morcellement Gris-gris, EDC and L'Hopital.

Poet Robert Edward Hart whose house La Nef is now a museum, Mr Armand Maudave who was an educator, sportsman, captain of industry and a diplomat and Permanent Secretary and Mrs Liliane Dubois who was the first woman in Mauritius to be appointed Permanent Secretary Souillac is an important village in the southern region.

Various State facilities and services are found in the village: The District Court of Savanne; the southern section of the Central Water Authority and the Central Electricity Board; the Southern section of the National Transport Corporation; a recently built modern hospital (which replaced the old Souillac hospital).

The Post office of the village is also one of the oldest on the island and is housed in the building of the old train station.

The garden bears the name of Charles Telfair, a naturalist and land proprietor who developed the sugar estate of Bel Ombre.

La Nef is a museum and former home of Mauritian poet Robert Edward Hart.

The falls tumble from the Savanne River from a height of about 10 m (33 ft) where constant erosion has fashioned the basalt rock into upright columns.

[1] In 2007, a bust of the Vicomte de Souillac was inaugurated at the Batelage to mark the 20th anniversary of the pairing.