Bass Coast Shire

Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Australian place The Bass Coast Shire is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the southeastern part of the state. It covers an area of Template:Convert and in June 2018 had a population of 35,327.<ref name=ABSLGA/> It includes the towns of Bass, Cape Paterson, Cape Woolamai, Corinella, Coronet Bay, Cowes, Inverloch, Kilcunda, Lang Lang, Newhaven, Rhyll, San Remo, Summerlands and Wonthaggi as well as the historic locality of Krowera. It also includes the popular tourist destination Phillip Island.

The Shire is governed and administered by the Bass Coast Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is the council headquarters in Wonthaggi, with other service centres located in Cowes, Grantville and Inverloch. The Shire is named after its most precious asset, the coasts of Bass Strait and Western Port.

History

The Bass Coast Shire was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Bass, Shire of Phillip Island and Borough of Wonthaggi, as well as parts of the Shire of Woorayl, Shire of Korumburra and City of Cranbourne.<ref name="Gazette" />

File:Victoria LGAs pre- vs post-amalgamation Bass Coast.png

Bass Coast Shire's predecessor LGAs (green) as they were in 1994. The administrative centres of the former LGAs are marked by green dots.

Council

Current composition

Template:Victoria LGA ward map The council is composed of three wards and nine councillors, with three councillors elected to represent each ward.<ref name=Council>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ward	Party		Councillor	Notes
Bunurong	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	Les Larke
	Template:Australian party style|	Independent National	Brett Tessari
	Template:Australian party style|	Independent Labor	Leticia Laing
Island	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	Ron Bauer	President of the Reason Party in Victoria from 2017 until 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	David Rooks
	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	Michael Whelan
Westernport	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	Clare Le Serve	Current Mayor (2023/24)
	Template:Australian party style|	Independent Labor	Geoff Ellis
	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	Rochelle Halstead	Deputy Mayor (2023/24)

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Wonthaggi Municipal Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre in Wonthaggi, and its service centre in Cowes.

Townships and localities

At the 2021 census, the shire had a population of 40,789, as compared to 32,804 in the 2016 census.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	59	83
Template:VICcity	48	66
Template:VICcity	28	26
Template:VICcity	22	32
Template:VICcity	359	405
Template:VICcity	891	1,111
Template:VICcity	1,676	2,301
Template:VICcity	0	0
Template:VICcity	791	1,181
Template:VICcity	791	1,108
Template:VICcity	4,839	6,593
Template:VICcity	583	843
Template:VICcity	165	182

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	106	118
Template:VICcity	831	1,168
Template:VICcity	37	62
Template:VICcity^	5,437	6,526
Template:VICcity	97	106
Template:VICcity	100	118
Template:VICcity	396	578
Template:VICcity^	197	207
Template:VICcity^	108	134
Template:VICcity	136	143
Template:VICcity^	1,585	2,556
Template:VICcity^	638	707
Template:VICcity	449	547

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	2,806	3,475
Template:VICcity^	235	270
Template:VICcity	352	365
Template:VICcity^	104	126
Template:VICcity	*	#
Template:VICcity	568	836
Template:VICcity	271	324
Template:VICcity	1,254	1,700
Template:VICcity	211	322
Template:VICcity	226	315
Template:VICcity	461	421
Template:VICcity	49	44
Template:VICcity	0	0

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	234	306
Template:VICcity	427	503
Template:VICcity	533	670
Template:VICcity	184	206
Template:VICcity	191	243
Template:VICcity	855	982
Template:VICcity	177	250
Template:VICcity	109	113
Template:VICcity	373	421
Template:VICcity	4,965	5,215
Template:VICcity	125	126
Template:VICcity	208	245

Template:Columns-end ^ - Territory divided with another LGA
* - Not noted in 2016 Census
# - Not noted in 2021 Census

Facilities

• Local markets<ref name = "public_information">Template:Citation</ref>

Cape Paterson

• Swimming Rockpool – Safety Beach, Browns Bay, Surf Beach Road<ref name = "public_information-2">Template:Citation</ref>
• Bunurong Marine Park

Wonthaggi

• Lower Powlett Road – Williamsons Beach, Powlett River, Wonthaggi Wind Farm and Victorian Desalination Plant (tours and walking/cycling/horse riding)
• Bass Coast Rail Trail – walk/cycle/horse trot
• Historic mine whistle – sounds 12 noon every day in the centre of Wonthaggi, mine shaft tower, Apex Park, Murray Street<ref name = "public_information"/>
• Wonthaggi Museum – open Saturday mornings, Murray Street<ref name = "Wonthaggi_Museum">Template:Citation</ref>
• State Coal Mine – museum and tours, Garden Street<ref name = "coal_mine">Template:Citation</ref>
• Coal mine ruins – Number 5 Brace & the McBride tunnel entry, off West Area Road Wonthaggi and scattered around the region<ref name = "public_information"/>
• Wonthaggi Golf Course – 18 hole, par 72, ACR 70, easy walk, McKenzie Street<ref name = "Wonthaggi_Golf_Course">Template:Citation</ref>
• Large chain stores
• Wonthaggi Hospital – Smoking ban, Graham Street<ref name = "hospital">Template:Citation</ref>

Phillip Island

• Phillip Island Penguin Parade
• Australian motorcycle Grand Prix
• Nobbies Centre at Seal Rocks

Krowera

• Garlic Farm, Olive Farm, Wayside Lookout, Dairy Farms

Kilcunda

• Kilcunda Trestle Bridge

Inverloch

• Inverloch Shell Museum and Dinosaur Exhibition<ref name = "dinosaur_dreaming">Template:Citation</ref>

Protected areas

Collecting empty seashells, driftwood, twigs, sea glass and other non-living materials or interesting rubbish of small size and in small quantities is legal from most beaches along the Bass Coast, with the exception of Wilsons Promontory, the Bunurong Marine National Park and most of Phillip Island.

On Phillip Island most beaches are off-limits for shell collecting and are run by Phillip Island Nature Parks, with the exceptions of Ventnor, Cowes, Rhyll and Newhaven.<ref name = "fisheries_guide">Template:Citation</ref>

The Bunurong Marine National Park is a middle outstretching section of Bunurong Marine Park along the coastline of Harmers Haven, Cape Paterson and Inverloch. The restricted zone (Bunurong Marine National Park inside Bunurong Marine Park) is an area south-west past Cape Paterson's Safety Beach and Undertow Bay; namely The Oaks, Twin Reefs, Shack Bay and Eagles Nest.

See also

• List of places on the Victorian Heritage Register in Bass Coast Shire
• Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve

External links

• Bass Coast Shire Council official website
• Metlink local public transport map
• Link to Land Victoria interactive maps Template:Webarchive
• Bass Coast Security
• Template:Victorian local government areas pre-1994 vs present map link