Shire of Wimmera
Local government area in Victoria, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Shire of Wimmera was a local government area in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. The municipality covered an area of 2,611 square kilometres (1,008.1 sq mi), and existed from 1862 until 1995. Although its shire offices were located in Horsham, Horsham itself was governed by a separate council after it succeeded in 1882.[2]
Shire of Wimmera | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location in Victoria | |||||||||||||
 The Shire of Wimmera as at its dissolution in 1995 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| Region | Wimmera | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1862 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Horsham | ||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 2,611 km2 (1,008 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 2,920 (1992)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 1.1183/km2 (2.897/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| County | Borung | ||||||||||||
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History
The Wimmera road district was incorporated on 3 March 1862, and this district became a shire on 4 March 1864. It was originally a very large district, including a significant portion of Walpeup, plus Arapiles, Dimboola, Dunmunkle, Kaniva, Kowree and Lowan, centred on the town of Horsham. By 1900, all of these areas had severed and separately incorporated, and Wimmera's boundaries remained largely unchanged for over 90 years.[3]
On 20 January 1995, the Shire of Wimmera was abolished, and along with the City of Horsham and parts of the Shires of Arapiles and Kowree, was merged into the newly created Rural City of Horsham. The section within the Grampians National Park was transferred to the newly created Shire of Northern Grampians, whilst the Kewell West and Wallup districts were transferred to the newly created Shire of Yarriambiack.[4]
Wards
Wimmera was divided into four ridings, each of which elected three councillors:
- North Riding
- South Riding
- East Riding
- West Riding
Towns and localities
Population
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 3,569 |
| 1958 | 3,790* |
| 1961 | 3,535 |
| 1966 | 3,481 |
| 1971 | 3,046 |
| 1976 | 3,060 |
| 1981 | 2,960* |
| 1986 | 2,850* |
| 1991 | 2,930 |
* Estimates in 1958, 1983 and 1988 Victorian Year Books.