Metchosin is located on the southern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  The origin of the name "Metchosin" is said to date back to the time when a dead whale was cast upon a local beach, causing the local First Nations people to refer to the area as "Smets-Shosin", meaning "place of stinking fish" or "place smelling of fish oil".

The first European contact with Metchosin probably took place in 1790 when Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper entered Pedder Bay and was greeted by a small group of native people.

In 1842 James Douglas was the next person of note into the area when he was looking for a site to put up a Hudson Bay Company post.

The Hudson Bay Company’s Company established quite a few farms in the Victoria area extending as far west as Colwood.

However, many independent settlers wanted to start their own farms.

One of the first farms to be established by a settler was the Bilston Farm, located on the shore of Witty’s Lagoon, bought by Captain Cooper in 1851 and farmed by Thomas Blinkhorn.

Other pioneers soon settled the area by clearing and cultivating the arable land and raising sheep and cattle over the upland slopes.

At first travel into Victoria was nothing but a forest trail to Victoria so most of the supplies and produce were shipped by water. As time went on, travel to the city was a day's drive by horse-drawn stage and then as modern times approached, jitney buses were used - making the trip much faster.

Fun Fact: Metchosin is home to one of the largest commercial sheep flocks in British Columbia, the Parry Bay Sheep Farm flock. Sheepdog trials began with the Metchosin Trial in 1992, and the Metchosin Sheep Dog Trial and Clinic is now held annual in late July.