The Shire of Bairnsdale was a local government area about 280 kilometres (174 mi) east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of 2,277.9 square kilometres (879.5 sq mi), and existed from 1867 until 1994. For its first one hundred years it governed both Bairnsdale and the surrounding area; however, after that time, Bairnsdale itself had its own local government authority.