Dereel is a town in the Western District of the Australian state

States and territories of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...

 of Victoria. At the 2006 census

Census in Australia

The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...

, Dereel and the surrounding area had a population of 669.

It is located on the Ballarat-Colac Road, 33 kilometres (21 mi) from Ballarat

Ballarat, Victoria

Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...

 and 70 kilometres (43 mi) from Colac

Colac, Victoria

Colac is a small city located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, situated approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac and the surrounding volcanic plains, approximately 40 km inland from Bass Strait. Colac is the largest city in and...

. There is no clearly defined town centre, though the Dereel Soldiers' Memorial Hall, located on Swamp Road, is commonly considered as the town centre.

Dereel Post Office opened on 1 November 1868 and closed in 1971.

Dereel includes a large wetlands area, referred to as the "Swamp" or "Lagoon". In the current (2007) drought it is almost dry.