Shire of Nillumbik
Local government area in Victoria, Australia
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The Shire of Nillumbik (/ˈnɪləmbɪk/ NILL-əm-bik) is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It contains Melbourne's outer north-eastern suburbs, including the major centres of Eltham and Diamond Creek, as well as numerous rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 432 square kilometres and at the 2021 census, the Shire had a population of 62,895.[1] The Shire uses the tag-line The Green Wedge Shire. The Nillumbik Council offices are located in Civic Drive, Greensborough.[2]
Shire of Nillumbik | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aerial view of Diamond Creek in Shire of Nillumbik | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| Region | Greater Melbourne | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1994 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Greensborough | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Cr John Dumaresq | ||||||||||||
| • State electorates | |||||||||||||
| • Federal divisions | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 432 km2 (167 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 62,895 (2021)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 145.59/km2 (377.1/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Website | Shire of Nillumbik | ||||||||||||
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The shire's name is derived from the Parish of Nillumbik, which was named in the 1830s, the term nyilum bik meaning "bad earth" or "red earth" in the local Aboriginal language Woiwurrung.[3]
Nillumbik was rated third of 590 Australian local government areas in the Bankwest Quality of Life Index 2008.[4]
History
Formation
In the early 1980s, a group known as the "Rural Shire Action Committee" pushed for the creation of a "Green Wedge" shire in the area. This was to have had similar boundaries to modern Nillumbik, but would have excluded the non-Green Wedge-zoned areas of Yarrambat and North Warrandyte and the built-up areas of Diamond Creek, Eltham and Research.[5] The proposal was investigated and reported on by the State Government's Local Government Commission, but ultimately no action was taken.[6]
The concept of the Green Wedge shire re-emerged during the major overhaul of local government in the early 1990s. This time, the proposed boundaries included a sufficient urban population base to sustain key municipal services such as libraries and a pool. In 1994, the Shire of Nillumbik was formed[7] from the merger of:
- the Shire of Eltham (less Montmorency, Lower Plenty, and properties accessed from the top of the Great Dividing Range),
- the Diamond Creek, Plenty and Yarrambat areas of the Shire of Diamond Valley,
- the Christmas Hills and Bend of Islands areas of the Shire of Healesville, and
- the Arthurs Creek area and the rural part of Doreen from the City of Whittlesea.[8]
The name "Nillumbik" for the new shire was suggested by the Shire of Diamond Valley; other proposed names included "Shire of Montsalvat" (the government review board's initial proposal) and "Shire of McCubbin" (also put forward by Diamond Valley).
🞲 The extreme north-west corner of the former Shire of Diamond Valley was transferred from Nillumbik to the City of Whittlesea in 1999[9]
As a council
On 13 October 1998, the five councillors of Nillumbik Council were suspended by then Local Government minister Rob Maclellan, with the state government declaring that infighting was affecting the ability of the council to function.[10] The number of councillors was subsequently increased to seven.
Council
The current council was elected in October 2024 for a four-year term.[11]
| Ward | Party | Councillors | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Lake | Independent | Grant Brooker | ||
| Bunjil | Independent Labor | Naomi Joiner | Deputy Mayor | |
| Edendale | Independent | Kelly Joy | ||
| Ellis | Independent | Peter Perkins | ||
| Sugarloaf | Independent | Kim Cope | ||
| Swipers Gully | Greens | Kate McKay | ||
| Wingrove | Independent | John Dumaresq | Mayor | |
Townships and localities
The 2021 census recorded the shire population at 62,895, up from 61,273 in the 2016 census.[12]
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Arthurs Creek | 496 | 478 |
| Bend of Islands | 295 | 267 |
| Christmas Hills | 355 | 365 |
| Cottles Bridge | 601 | 609 |
| Diamond Creek | 11,733 | 12,503 |
| Doreen^ | 21,298 | 27,122 |
| Eltham | 18,314 | 18,847 |
| Eltham North^ | 6,805 | 6,830 |
| Greensborough^ | 20,821 | 21,070 |
| Hurstbridge | 3,450 | 3,554 |
| Kangaroo Ground | 1,095 | 1,208 |
| Kinglake^ | 1,536 | 1,662 |
| Kinglake West^ | 1,166 | 1,305 |
| North Warrandyte | 2,956 | 3,027 |
| Nutfield | 152 | 158 |
| Panton Hill | 1,062 | 1,063 |
| Plenty | 2,364 | 2,575 |
| Research | 2,649 | 2,695 |
| Smiths Gully | 369 | 356 |
| St Andrews | 1,226 | 1,186 |
| Strathewen | 178 | 198 |
| Watsons Creek | 51 | 58 |
| Wattle Glen | 1,961 | 1,911 |
| Yan Yean^ | 252 | 246 |
| Yarrambat | 1,588 | 1,602 |
^ - Territory divided with another LGA
Facilities
Nillumbik's oldest public building is the Eltham courthouse which was restored in 2022.[13]
Eltham Library and Diamond Valley Library located in Greensborough are operated by Yarra Plenty Regional Library A mobile library service is also operated by Yarra Plenty Regional Library serving the locations of Doreen, Panton Hill, St Andrews, Hurstbridge, North Warrandye, Kangaroo Ground, Diamond Creek and Christmas Hills.[14]
Nillumbikk U3A provides a wide range of courses open to all retired and semi-retired people[15]
NillumBUG is a bicycle user group for the Nillumbik Shire.[16]
Books on the Shire of Nillumbik
Marshall, Marguerite, Nillumbik Now and Then Research, Vic. MPrint Publications, 2008 ISBN 9780646491226
