Alpine Shire

The Shire of Alpine is a local government area in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of 4,788 square kilometres (1,849 sq mi) and in August 2021 had a population of 13,235.^[4]

Shire of Alpine Victoria
Location in Victoria
Population	13,235 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	2.7642/km2 (7.1593/sq mi)
Established	1994
Gazetted	18 November 1994[2]
Area	4,788 km2 (1,848.7 sq mi)[3]
Mayor	Cr John Forsyth
Council seat	Bright
Region	Hume
State electorate(s)	Ovens Valley
Federal division(s)	Indi
Website	Shire of Alpine
LGAs around Shire of Alpine: Wangaratta Indigo Towong Wangaratta Shire of Alpine East Gippsland Wellington Wellington East Gippsland

It includes the towns of Bright, Dinner Plain, Mount Beauty and Myrtleford. There are two unincorporated areas within the shire: the areas around Mount Hotham and Falls Creek. It was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Bright, Shire of Myrtleford, and parts of the United Shire of Beechworth, Shire of Oxley, Shire of Yackandandah and Shire of Omeo.^[2]

The Shire is governed and administered by the Alpine Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Bright, it also has service centres located in Dinner Plain, Mount Beauty and Myrtleford. The Shire is named after its location in the popular alpine region of Victoria.

Over 90% of the Shire is public land.^[5] The Shire has two major national parks, the Alpine National Park and Mount Buffalo National Park.^[6] The Shire's economy is based on tourism, agriculture and forestry.^[6]

Council

Current composition

The council is composed of seven councillors elected to represent an unsubdivided municipality.^[7][8]

Ward	Councillor		Notes
Unsubdivided		Ron Janas
		Kelli Prime
		Tony Keeble
		Simon Kelley
		Katarina Chalwell
		Sarah Nicholas
		John Forsyth

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Bright Municipal Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities.^[9] It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre in Bright, and its service centres in Dinner Plain, Mt Beauty and Myrtleford.

2020 election results

2020 Victorian local elections: Alpine^[10][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Ron Janas (elected 1)	1,525	17.15
	Independent	Kelli Prime (elected 2)	1,157	13.01
	Independent	Tony Keeble (elected 3)	973	10.94
	Animal Justice	Charlie Vincent (elected 4)	812	9.13	+9.13
	Independent	Katarina Chalwell (elected 5)	749	8.42
	Independent	Sarah Nicholas (elected 6)	642	7.22
	Independent	John Forsyth (elected 7)	604	7.29
	Independent	Daryl Pearce	521	5.86
	Independent	Simon Kelley	506	5.69
	Independent	Mario Vaccaro	483	5.43
	Independent	Mickey Fletcher	430	4.84
	Independent	Kitty Knappstein	284	3.19
	Independent	Jean-Pierre Ronco	205	2.31
Total formal votes			8,891	95.04
Informal votes			464	4.96
Turnout			9,355	83.76

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2020 Victorian local elections in Hume § Alpine.[edit]

Townships and localities

In the 2021 census, the shire had a population of 13,235, up from 12,337 in the 2016 national census.^[12]

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Abbeyard	0	4
Barwidgee	106	96
Bogong	5	8
Bright	2,406	2,620
Buckland	135	156
Buffalo River	255	285
Cobungra^	53	58
Coral Bank	83	88
Dandongadale	3	8
Dargo^	99	105
Dederang	167	198

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Dinner Plain	230	128
Eurobin	212	239
Falls Creek	293	326
Freeburgh	110	136
Gapsted	173	156
Germantown	0	0
Glen Creek	54	59
Gundowring^	214	208
Harrietville	338	488
Havilah	21	22
Hotham Heights	196	128

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Kancoona	84	74
Kergunyah South	58	76
Merriang	178	182
Merriang South	41	43
Mongans Bridge	35	49
Mount Beauty	824	910
Mount Buffalo	0	5
Mudgegonga	172	184
Myrtleford	3,193	3,285
Nug Nug	21	36
Ovens	219	197

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Porepunkah	941	1,024
Rosewhite	134	141
Running Creek	42	36
Selwyn	0	0
Smoko	46	56
Tawonga	574	568
Tawonga South	862	1,012
Upper Gundowring	99	120
Wandiligong	453	522
Wongungarra^	0	0
Wonnangatta	0	0

^ – Territory divided with another LGA

See also

• List of localities in Victoria
• List of places on the Victorian Heritage Register in Alpine Shire

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Alpine (Local Government Area)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
2. "Local Government Act 1989 – Order Constituting the Shires of Towong, Indigo, Milawa, Delatite, Strathbogie, Murrindindi, Mitchell, Moira and (etc.) – Part 6: Alpine Shire". Victoria Government Gazette (Online Archive) (S87). State Library Victoria: 3–4. 18 November 1994. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
3. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
4. "2021 Alpine, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
5. "About Alpine Shire". Alpine Shire Council. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
6. "Know Your Council". Alpine Shire. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
7. Local Government in Victoria. "Alpine Shire Council". Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure. State Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
8. "Meet Your Council". Alpine Shire Council. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
9. "Council Meertngs". Alpine Shire Council. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
10. "Alpine Shire Council election results 2020". Victorian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
11. Bunn, Anthony (26 December 2021). "Animal Justice Party councillor Charlie Vincent leaving Alpine Shire after scoring tourism job". The Border Mail. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
12. "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 11 January 2023.

External links

• Alpine Shire Council official website
• Metlink local public transport map
• Link to Land Victoria interactive maps Archived 24 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine