Community profile

The centre of Moorabool Shire is approximtely 80 kilometres west of Melbourne CBD. The Shire is bounded by the Shire of Hepburn in the north, the Shire of Macedon Ranges in the north-east, the Shire of Melton in the east, the City of Wyndham in the south-east, the City of Greater Geelong and the Shire of Golden Plains in the south and the City of Ballarat in the west.

Moorabool Shire Council key statistics

 

Moorabool Shire is predominantly a rural area but also has substantial forests, waterways (including water catchments and storages) and residential areas. Most of the northern area is rural, with a large portion being forest. Much of the rural area in the Shire is used for agricultural purposes, including horticulture, sheep and beef farming, timber production and more recently, viticulture. There is also some mining.

Development of the area dates from the 1830s, with growth from the 1850s due to the discovery of gold in Buninyong, Gordon and nearby Ballarat. Townships in Bacchus Marsh and Ballan grew as stopping points for coaches from Melbourne on their way to the goldfields, with Bacchus Marsh now the retail centre of the Shire. Significant development has occurred in and around Bacchus Marsh and Ballan in recent decades, especially during the 1990s. The Shire’s population has grown from 20,700 in 1991 to approximately 27,000 in 2008. This growth has been most heavily concentrated in the areas closest to Melbourne such as Bacchus Marsh, Darley, Hopetoun Park and Maddingley. It is expected that this population growth will continue, especially in the eastern area.

Moorabool Shire Council 2001 snapshots