Pioneer Settlement is Swan Hill's main draw, an open-air museum built around a reconstructed Mallee township on the banks of the Little Murray. You can wander through shops and cottages, ride in a horse-drawn carriage, see working heritage machinery, and take a short cruise on the paddlesteamer PS Pyap when it is running.
It is polished and family-friendly, but the setting saves it from feeling like a generic heritage park. The river, the old trade stories, and the dry-country atmosphere all belong here.