The Shire of Macedon Ranges is a region in Central Victoria, Australia, best known for its native forests, geographical attraction Hanging Rock, and artisan food and wine industries. The region covers an area of 1,748 square kilometres (675 sq mi). It is located in between the cities of Bendigo and Melbourne. In August 2021 the shire had a population of 51,458. It includes the towns of Gisborne, Gisborne South, Kyneton, Lancefield, Macedon, Malmsbury, Mount Macedon, New Gisborne, Riddells Creek, Romsey and Woodend.
The Shire is named after the region's major geographical feature, the Macedon Ranges. It has become one of Victoria's most popular tourist attractions and contains some of its most sought-after real estate.
It is governed and administered by the Macedon Ranges Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Kyneton, it also has service centres located in Gisborne, Romsey and Woodend.
Macedon Ranges was one of the highest-rated areas in Australia in the Quality of Life Index 2008. It was the highest rated in Victoria (outside Melbourne), and was 13th of 590 Australian local government areas.
Council
Current composition
The Shire of Macedon Ranges was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Romsey, Shire of Gisborne, Shire of Newham and Woodend, and most of the Shire of Kyneton.6
The council is composed of three wards (East, South and West) and nine councillors, with three councillors per ward elected to represent each ward.7
Since October 2024, Macedon Ranges has consisted of the following councillors:8
| Ward | Councillor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| East Ward | Cassy Borthwick | |
| Daniel Young | ||
| Andrew Scanlon | ||
| South Ward | Dom Bonanno | Mayor |
| Alison Joseph | ||
| Christine Walker | ||
| West Ward | Jennifer Anderson | |
| Kate Kendall | Deputy Mayor | |
| Janet Pearce |
Administration and governance
The Council meets in the Council chambers at Gisborne, which is also the location of one of the Council's administrative centres. It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre in Kyneton, and its service centres in Gisborne, Romsey and Woodend.
Education
Gisborne Secondary College, the largest secondary school in the shire, is located in Gisborne, and provides both academic and vocational programs for over 1000 students from across the Macedon Ranges.
Kyneton Secondary College is Kyneton's state secondary school, along with Sacred Heart College (Catholic), and Braemar College east of Woodend (Ecumenical, co-educational) as the largest non-government secondary schools in the shire.
Candlebark School (R-12, near Romsey) and Alice Miller School (7-12, near Macedon), both founded by Australian author and educator John Marsden, provide alternative education options.9
There are several primary schools across the shire.
Townships and localities
In the 2021 census, the shire had a population of 51,458 compared to 46,100 in the 2016 census.10
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Ashbourne | 196 | 242 |
| Baynton | 107 | 95 |
| Baynton East | * | # |
| Benloch | 135 | 138 |
| Bolinda | 197 | 185 |
| Bullengarook | 645 | 714 |
| Bylands^ | 131 | 117 |
| Cadello | 13 | 25 |
| Carlsruhe | 327 | 382 |
| Cherokee | 56 | 68 |
| Chintin | 106 | 111 |
| Clarkefield^ | 320 | 303 |
| Cobaw | 70 | 104 |
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Darraweit Guim | 402 | 402 |
| Denver^ | 150 | 148 |
| Drummond^ | 283 | 294 |
| Edgecombe | 94 | 103 |
| Fern Hill^ | 104 | 125 |
| Gisborne | 8,999 | 10,142 |
| Gisborne South | 799 | 854 |
| Goldie | 227 | 253 |
| Greenhill^ | 54 | 60 |
| Hesket | 168 | 178 |
| Kerrie | 81 | 83 |
| Kyneton | 6,951 | 7,513 |
| Kyneton South | 124 | 116 |
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Lancefield | 2,455 | 2,743 |
| Lauriston | 236 | 247 |
| Macedon | 2,040 | 2,073 |
| Malmsbury^ | 831 | 905 |
| Monegeetta | 218 | 207 |
| Mount Macedon | 1,335 | 1,450 |
| New Gisborne | 2,387 | 2,509 |
| Newham | 506 | 533 |
| Pastoria | 48 | 75 |
| Pastoria East | 38 | 51 |
| Pipers Creek | 159 | 189 |
| Riddells Creek | 3,947 | 4,390 |
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Rochford | 71 | 71 |
| Romsey | 4,746 | 5,797 |
| Sidonia | 13 | 28 |
| Spring Hill^ | 198 | 200 |
| Springfield | 3 | 9 |
| Tantaraboo | * | # |
| Taradale^ | 448 | 524 |
| Toolern Vale^ | 724 | 818 |
| Trentham East^ | 153 | 181 |
| Tylden^ | 535 | 645 |
| Woodend | 5,806 | 6,732 |
| Woodend North | 304 | 315 |
^ - Territory divided with another LGA * - Not noted in 2016 Census # - Not noted in 2021 Census
External links
- Macedon Ranges Shire Council official website
- Residents association
- Metlink local public transport map
- Link to Land Victoria interactive maps
- Gisborne & Mount Macedon Districts Historical Society
37°21′00″S 144°37′00″E / 37.35000°S 144.61667°E / -37.35000; 144.61667
References
"3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3218.02017-18 ↩
"3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3218.02017-18 ↩
"Visit Macedon Ranges". Visit Macedon Ranges. https://www.visitmacedonranges.com/whats-on/ ↩
de Silva, Christine (13 December 2017). "Mt Macedon's own legendary Camelot with links to Arthur Streeton hits the market". News.com.au. Retrieved 13 December 2017. http://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/melbourne-vic/mt-macedons-own-legendary-camelot-with-links-to-arthur-streeton-hits-the-market/news-story/4f602e0244c4ebce6526dabff1d9bb6c ↩
"BankWest Quality of Life Index 2008" (PDF). BankWest. 20 August 2008. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090225160749/http://www.bankwest.com.au/library/scripts/objectifyMedia.aspx?file=pdf%2F43%2F12.pdf&str_title=Complete%20Quality%20of%20Life%20Rankings%202008.pdf ↩
Victoria Government Gazette – Online Archive (1837–1997). "S2 of 1995: Order estg (Part 8) the Shire of Macedon Ranges". State Library of Victoria. State Government of Victoria (published 19 January 1995). pp. 3–4. Retrieved 10 January 2014. http://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/view.cgi?year=1995&class=S&page_num=3&state=V&classNum=S2 ↩
Local Government in Victoria. "Macedon Ranges Shire Council". Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure. State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 10 January 2014. http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/localgovernment/find-your-local-council/macedon-ranges ↩
"Councillors & Wards". Macedon Ranges Shire Council. Retrieved 7 February 2025. https://www.mrsc.vic.gov.au/About-Council/Our-Council/Councillors-Wards ↩
"Australian writer John Marsden, author of Tomorrow series, dies aged 74". ABC News. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-18/australian-author-john-marsden-dies-aged-74/104743222 ↩
"Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 11 January 2023. https://www.abs.gov.au/census ↩