The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first Federal election. The division was named after the Wannon River. For the first half-century after Federation, it regularly traded hands between the Australian Labor Party and the conservative parties. However, a 1955 redistribution removed most of the seat's Labor-friendly territory, and it has been a safe Liberal seat for most of its history since then.
Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.[1]