Shire of Baw Baw

Shire of Baw Baw
Victoria
Location in Victoria
Population 48,479 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density 12.0265/km2 (31.149/sq mi)
Established 1994
Gazetted 2 December 1994[2]
Area 4,031 km2 (1,556.4 sq mi)
Mayor Cr Joe Gauci
Council seat Warragul
Region Eastern Victoria
State electorate(s) Narracan
Federal Division(s) McMillan
Website Shire of Baw Baw
LGAs around Shire of Baw Baw:
Yarra Ranges Yarra Ranges Wellington
Cardinia Shire of Baw Baw Latrobe
South Gippsland South Gippsland Latrobe
Thorpdale, one of the towns administered by the Shire of Baw Baw.

The Shire of Baw Baw is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, in the eastern part of the state. It covers an area of 4,031 square kilometres (1,556 sq mi) and at the 2016 Census had a population of approximately 48,500.

It includes the towns of Drouin, Longwarry, Neerim South, Trafalgar, Warragul and Yarragon. It was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Buln Buln, Shire of Narracan, Rural City of Warragul and some parts of the Shire of Upper Yarra.[2]

The Shire is governed and administered by the Baw Baw Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Drouin, it also has a service centre located in Warragul. The Shire is named after the major geographical feature in the region, the Baw Baw Plateau with Mount Baw Baw being the second highest peak in the region. A small alpine ski resort on the mountain is an unincorporated area forming an enclave surrounded by the Shire.

Location and geography

The more densely populated southern half of the Shire consists of low rolling hills given over primarily to dairy farming and other agriculture. The northern half lies in the Great Dividing Range and its foothills, where forestry remains an important industry. Tourism is also important in the region, aided by its proximity to and easy access from Melbourne. The shire is known for its rural scenery and natural environment, as well as gourmet foods and wines. The historic gold-mining town of Walhalla is located in the northeast of the shire. The major electricity-producing region of the Latrobe Valley lies immediately to the shire's east.

Many of the Shire's larger towns are located along the Princes Highway and main Gippsland Railway line, which cross the southern part of the shire. From west to east these include: Longwarry, Drouin, Warragul, Darnum, Yarragon and Trafalgar. North of Warragul are Buln Buln, Fumina South, Neerim South and Noojee (from which runs the main road to Mount Baw Baw), while south of Trafalgar in the Strzelecki Ranges lies the town of Thorpdale. The towns of Rawson, Erica and Parkers Corner are located near Walhalla amongst the foothills of Mount Baw Baw.

Council

Composition up to November 2016

The council was composed of four wards and nine councillors, with three councillors elected to represent the Warragul Ward and two councillors per remaining ward elected to represent each of the other wards.[3]

WardCouncillor Notes
Drouin  Tricia Jones
 Terry Williamson
Mount Worth  Murray Cook Mayor 2012 - 2014
 Peter Kostos
North  David Balfour
 Deborah Brown Mayor 2014 - 2015
Warragul  Joe Gauci Mayor 2015 - 2016
 Gerard Murphy
 Mikaela Power

Current composition

The council was changed to a three ward structure with three councillors per ward with the new council sworn in on 2 November, 2016. The new wards are West [primarily Drouin with some rural areas north/south], Central [Warragul] and East [pretty much everywhere to the east of Warragul and is 81% of the shire's land area].

Ward Councillor Notes
West - 669 sq/km   Tricia Jones
  Keith Cook
  Jessica O'Donnell
East - 3,294 sq/km   Peter Kostos
  Darren Wallace
  Michael Leaney
Central - 66 sq.km   Joe Gauci Mayor - 2016 >
  Danny Goss
  Mikaela Power

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers in Trafalgar [formed Shire of Narracan]. The council's administrative activities is centred in Drouin in the former offices of the Buln Buln Shire. It also provides customer services at both Warragul, and the council offices in Drouin. Service centres in Trafalgar and on Smith Street in Warragul were closed in 2015.[4] The council chambers moved to Trafalgar in March 2017 as the Warragul chambers were consumed as part of the renovations for the West Gippsland Arts Centre. The Warragul chambers area will form part of the northern foyer for the arts centre.

Localities

See also

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Baw Baw (S)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 November 2017. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. 1 2 Victoria Government Gazette – Online Archive (1837–1997). "S94 of 1994: Order estg (Part 3) the Shire of Baw Baw". State Library of Victoria. State Government of Victoria (published 2 December 1994). p. 2. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Local Government in Victoria. "Baw Baw Shire Council". Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure. State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Customer Service Centre Locations". Baw Baw Shire. Baw baw Shire. Retrieved 20 April 2016.

Coordinates: 37°57′00″S 146°07′00″E / 37.95000°S 146.11667°E / -37.95000; 146.11667

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