Bairnsdale is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, located on a bend of the Mitchell River about 279 km east of Melbourne. It lies in a region traditionally inhabited by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people. The estimated population of the Bairnsdale urban area was 17,666 at June 2023.
The city is a major regional centre of eastern Victoria, alongside Traralgon and Sale, and serves as the commercial hub for the East Gippsland region and the seat of local government for the Shire of East Gippsland. Bairnsdale was first proclaimed as a shire on 16 July 1868 and was elevated to city status on 14 July 1990.
The Mitchell River flows along the town's northern edge and then turns south along its eastern edge, with suburbs including Wy Yung, Eastwood and Lucknow across the river. South of town, near Lake King, the Macleod Morass and Jones Bay Wildlife Reserves form part of the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar Site, an internationally recognised wetland area.