Rural City of Wangaratta

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Rural City of Wangaratta
Local government area
Location in Victoria
Location in Victoria
Official logo of Rural City of Wangaratta
CountryAustralia
StateVictoria
RegionHume
Established1994
Council seatWangaratta
Government
 • MayorIrene Grant
 • State electorate
 • Federal division
Area
[1]
 • Total
3,645 km2 (1,407 sq mi)
Population
 • Total29,808 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density8.1778/km2 (21.180/sq mi)
Gazetted18 November 1994[2]
WebsiteRural City of Wangaratta
LGAs around Rural City of Wangaratta
Moira Indigo Indigo
Benalla Rural City of Wangaratta Alpine
Mansfield Mansfield Wellington
Council Offices and chambers

The Rural City of Wangaratta is a local government area in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of 3,645 square kilometres (1,407 mi2) and, in August 2021, had a population of 29,808.[1] It includes the towns of Cheshunt, Eldorado, Everton, Glenrowan, Greta, Greta West, Milawa, Moyhu, Oxley, Tarrawingee, Wangaratta and Whitfield. When formed the municipality was originally called the Shire of Milawa, but a few months later, was renamed to its current name.[2]

The Rural City is governed and administered by the Wangaratta Rural City Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Wangaratta. The Rural City is named after the main urban settlement located in the north of the LGA, that is Wangaratta, which is also the LGA's most populous urban centre with a population of around 18,500.[3]

History

The Rural City of Wangaratta was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the City of Wangaratta, the Shire of Wangaratta, the Shire of Oxley (less the Merriang district and the Buffalo River valley), the Glenrowan district of the Shire of Benalla, the Everton and Murmungee districts of the United Shire of Beechworth, and the township of Peechelba from the Shire of Yarrawonga.

The Rural City's predecessor LGAs (green) as they were in 1994.

Council

2024 ward boundaries. Expand the map and click on a ward to see the ward name.

Current composition

The council is composed of seven single-councillor wards.[4] As of the 2024 election, the seven councillors are:[5]

WardCouncillorNotes
Appin Tania Maxwell
Bullawah Dave Fuller
King River Harry Bussell
Ovens Harvey BentonDeputy Mayor
Warby Irene GrantMayor
Wareena Ashlee Fitzpatrick
Yarrunga Allison Winters

History

The election of Councillors in 2016 followed a three year period where the Council was governed by Administrators. Administrators had been appointed by an Act of Parliament, following the dismissal of the Councillors elected at the 2012 general election.[6] A panel of three administrators, by an Act of Parliament, was appointed to oversee the council until the 2016 municipal elections.[7][8]

In 2023, the Victoria Electoral Commission commenced an electoral structure review into the existing Ward structures of the Rural City of Wangaratta to satisfy the requirements of the Local Government Act 2020 (Vic). As a result of this review, the council moved to seven single-councillor wards for the 2024 election. Previously, the council was divided into 4 wards, including a four-councillor city ward.[4]

Administration and governance

The councillors meet in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Wangaratta Government Centre, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at its administrative centre in Wangaratta.

Townships and localities

In the 2021 census, the rural city had a population of 29,808, up from 28,310 in the 2016 census.[9]

Population
Locality20162021
Bobinawarrah83100
Boorhaman129135
Boorhaman East1713
Boorhaman North4953
Boralma6979
Boweya^4151
Bowmans Forest96106
Bowser4744
Byawatha155160
Carboor9597
Cheshunt231213
Cheshunt South00
Docker120106
Dockers Plains5459
East Wangaratta8066
Edi7560
Edi Upper92109
Eldorado385382
Everton203193
Everton Upper158154
Glenrowan^9631,049
Greta10786
Greta South132131
Greta West162157
Hansonville139155
Killawarra418391
King Valley10187
Laceby247304
Londrigan127159
Markwood258230
Meadow Creek84112
Milawa587588
Moyhu445437
Murmungee5769
Myrrhee152168
North Wangaratta288282
Oxley631710
Oxley Flats5549
Peechelba^184177
Peechelba East4554
Rose River2626
Springhurst348349
Tarrawingee370416
Tolmie^447547
Wabonga00
Waldara618677
Wangandary227217
Wangaratta18,10219,214
Wangaratta South509550
Whitfield215220
Whitlands3537
Whorouly376383
Whorouly East8292
Whorouly South5164

^ - Territory divided with another LGA

See also

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Wangaratta (Local Government Area)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  2. Victoria Government Gazette – Online Archive (1837–1997). "S87 of 1994: Order estg (Part 5) the Shire of Milawa". State Library of Victoria. State Government of Victoria (published 18 November 1994). p. 3. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. Census QuickStats (2016). "Wangaratta (UCL) – UCL213017". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Government of Australia. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  4. Rural City of Wangaratta. "Electoral Structure". Rural City of Wangaratta. Rural City of Wangaratta. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  5. Rural City of Wangaratta. "Councillors". Rural City of Wangaratta. Rural City of Wangaratta. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  6. "Wangaratta Council to be dismissed". Premier of Victoria. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  7. Parliament of Victoria (2013). "Local Government (Rural City of Wangaratta) Act 2013". Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  8. Wangaratta Rural City Council (2013). "About Council – Councillors". Rural City of Wangaratta. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  9. "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 11 January 2023.

36°21′21″S 146°19′33″E / 36.35583°S 146.32583°E / -36.35583; 146.32583