Shire of Moira
Local Government Area (LGA) in Victoria, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moira Shire is a local government area in the Northern Victoria Region of Victoria, Australia. Located in the north-east part of the state, it covers an area of 4,045 square kilometres (1,562 mi2). As at August 2021 the population was 30,522.[1] It includes the towns of Cobram, Nathalia, Numurkah and Yarrawonga.
Moira Shire Council | |||||||||||||
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Location in Victoria | |||||||||||||
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| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| Region | Hume | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1994 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Cobram | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Cr Libro Mustica | ||||||||||||
| • State electorates | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 4,045 km2 (1,562 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 30,522 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 7.5456/km2 (19.5430/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Gazetted | 18 November 1994[2] | ||||||||||||
| Website | Moira Shire Council | ||||||||||||
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The Shire is governed and administered by the Moira Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Cobram, it also has a service centre located in Yarrawonga. The Shire is named after the county of Moira, of which the LGA occupies the northern part.
History
The Shire of Moira was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Cobram, Shire of Nathalia, Shire of Numurkah, Shire of Tungamah (less the Katandra district) and Shire of Yarrawonga (less the Peechelba township area).[2]
By the time of the Local Government Board's review of north-eastern Victoria earlier that year, Nathalia and Numurkah had expressed readiness to merge with each other, as had Tungamah and Yarrawonga (who were also open to a three-way merger with the Shire of Rutherglen). These four shires did not support further amalgamation, owing to concerns that travel times would be excessive, and that the irrigated farmers in the west and dryland farmers in the east did not belong in the same shire. However, the Board was ultimately persuaded by a submission from the Shire of Cobram, which proposed a merger of all five councils into a new Shire that would benefit from a diversified agricultural base and a stronger capability in dealing with the area's drainage and flooding issues.[3]
In the Local Government Board's initial proposal, the Shire was to be called "Muckatah".[3] This name, suggested by the Shire of Cobram,[4] was taken from the locality of Muckatah situated near the geographic centre of the LGA, and the Muckatah Depression, a drainage basin extending across much of the Shire from Boomahnoomoonah (south-east of Yarrawonga) to Numurkah.[5]
Council
Current composition
The council is composed of nine councillors elected to represent an unsubdivided municipality.[6]
In the wake of a report detailing the "preventable" murder of a senior manager, the Moira Shire council was dismissed by the Minister for Local Government, Melissa Horne on 7 March 2023. An interim administrator has been appointed.[7] Elections for a new council will not be held until 2028.[8]
Administration and governance
The council meets in various locations around the Shire. It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre in Cobram and its service centre in Yarrawonga.
Townships and localities
In the 2021 census, the shire had a population of 30,522, up from 29,112 in the 2016 census.[9]
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Almonds | 26 | 31 |
| Barmah | 282 | 229 |
| Bathumi | 62 | 76 |
| Bearii | 145 | 167 |
| Boomahnoomoonah | 22 | 14 |
| Boosey | 105 | 108 |
| Boweya North | 43 | 42 |
| Bundalong | 428 | 512 |
| Bundalong South | 51 | 42 |
| Burramine | 197 | 241 |
| Burramine South | 24 | 24 |
| Cobram | 6,014 | 6,148 |
| Cobram East | 242 | 232 |
| Drumanure | 41 | 41 |
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Esmond | 9 | 17 |
| Invergordon | 610 | 601 |
| Kaarimba | 85 | 93 |
| Katamatite | 401 | 453 |
| Katamatite East | 35 | 30 |
| Katunga | 996 | 1,025 |
| Koonoomoo | 296 | 305 |
| Kotupna | 105 | 132 |
| Lake Rowan | 66 | 70 |
| Lower Moira | 25 | 30 |
| Marungi^ | 111 | 98 |
| Muckatah | 213 | 170 |
| Mundoona | 119 | 138 |
| Mywee | 14 | 20 |
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Waggarandall | 40 | 52 |
| Wilby | 166 | 192 |
| Wunghnu | 334 | 326 |
| Yabba North | 101 | 104 |
| Yabba South | 27 | 32 |
| Yalca | 206 | 222 |
| Yarrawonga | 7,930 | 8,661 |
| Yarrawonga South | 15 | 15 |
| Yarroweyah | 548 | 551 |
| Yielima | 87 | 93 |
| Youanmite | 59 | 56 |
| Youarang | 39 | 34 |
| Yundool | 44 | 52 |
^ - Territory divided with another LGA
