The town of Milang is situated on the shores of Lake Alexandrina, just over 20 km from Strathalbyn.
The area was originally inhabited by the Punguratpular people, one of the eighteen tribes which made up the Ngarrindjeri nation.
European settlement in the district began in the 1840s as pastoralists began to take up land between Strathalbyn and the Lake.
The township was surveyed in December 1853 and January 1854 with the first lots being auctioned in July 1854. Milang experienced its heyday between 1860 and 1880 when it was a thriving port connecting the river trade from the Darling River and Riverina regions with Port Adelaide.