The area was occupied by the Wotjobaluk Aborigines prior to white settlement. Squatters Robert and Andrew Scott established a grazing run on both sides of the Yarriambiack Creek in 1845. A shanty and a store were established on the banks of the creek in the late 1860s and the Commercial Hotel was opened in 1870 (it is still standing).
A rough log lock-up was built when the first permanent policeman arrived in 1872 and, remarkably, it remained in use until the 1950s. It too is extant. The area was plagued by rabbits in the late 1870s causing the construction of a massive fence along the 36th parallel to the north of town. A portion was built, under contract, by the father of poet John Shaw Neilson while the family was living in the area.
As was the case throughout the Wimmera and Mallee, grazing soon gave way to wheat-farming. The railway arrived in 1885 and the town became a municipality in 1891. An improved water supply saw increased wheat yields and a flour mill was built in 1894.
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