Shire of Nillumbik

The Shire of Nillumbik (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It contains Melbourne's outer north-eastern suburbs, including the major centres of Eltham and Diamond Creek, as well as numerous rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 432 square kilometres and at the 2021 census, the Shire had a population of 62,895.<ref name=ABSLGA/> The Shire uses the tag-line The Green Wedge Shire. The Nillumbik Council offices are located in Civic Drive, Greensborough.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The shire's name is derived from the Parish of Nillumbik, which was named in the 1830s, the term nyilum bik meaning "bad earth" or "red earth" in the local Aboriginal language Woiwurrung.<ref>Nillumbik Shire – eMelbourne</ref>

Nillumbik was rated third of 590 Australian local government areas in the Bankwest Quality of Life Index 2008.<ref name="BankWest">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Formation

In the early 1980s, a group known as the "Rural Shire Action Committee" pushed for the creation of a "Green Wedge" shire in the area. This was to have had similar boundaries to modern Nillumbik, but would have excluded the non-Green Wedge-zoned areas of Yarrambat and North Warrandyte and the built-up areas of Diamond Creek, Eltham and Research.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The proposal was investigated and reported on by the State Government's Local Government Commission, but ultimately no action was taken.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The concept of the Green Wedge shire re-emerged during the major overhaul of local government in the early 1990s. This time, the proposed boundaries included a sufficient urban population base to sustain key municipal services such as libraries and a pool. In 1994, the Shire of Nillumbik was formed<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> from the merger of:

• the Shire of Eltham (less Montmorency, Lower Plenty, and properties accessed from the top of the Great Dividing Range),
• the Diamond Creek, Plenty and Yarrambat areas of the Shire of Diamond Valley,
• the Christmas Hills and Bend of Islands areas of the Shire of Healesville, and
• the Arthurs Creek area and the rural part of Doreen from the City of Whittlesea.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The name "Nillumbik" for the new shire was suggested by the Shire of Diamond Valley; other proposed names included "Shire of Montsalvat" (the government review board's initial proposal) and "Shire of McCubbin" (also put forward by Diamond Valley).

File:Victoria LGAs pre- vs post-amalgamation Nillumbik.png

A map of Nillumbik Shire showing the predecessor LGAs that overlapped the area before the 1994 local government amalgamations
🞲 The extreme north-west corner of the former Shire of Diamond Valley was transferred from Nillumbik to the City of Whittlesea in 1999<ref>Template:Cite Gazette VIC</ref>

As a council

On 13 October 1998, the five councillors of Nillumbik Council were suspended by then Local Government minister Rob Maclellan, with the state government declaring that infighting was affecting the ability of the council to function.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The number of councillors was subsequently increased to seven.

Council

Template:Victoria LGA ward map The current council was elected in October 2024 for a four-year term.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ward	Party		Councillors	Notes
Blue Lake	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	Grant Brooker
Bunjil	Template:Australian party style|	Independent Labor	Naomi Joiner	Deputy Mayor
Edendale	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	Kelly Joy
Ellis	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	Peter Perkins
Sugarloaf	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	Kim Cope
Swipers Gully	Template:Australian party style|	Greens	Kate McKay
Wingrove	Template:Australian party style|	Independent	John Dumaresq	Mayor

Townships and localities

The 2021 census recorded the shire population at 62,895, up from 61,273 in the 2016 census.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	496	478
Template:VICcity	295	267
Template:VICcity	355	365
Template:VICcity	601	609
Template:VICcity	11,733	12,503
Template:VICcity^	21,298	27,122
Template:VICcity	18,314	18,847
Template:VICcity^	6,805	6,830
Template:VICcity^	20,821	21,070
Template:VICcity	3,450	3,554
Template:VICcity	1,095	1,208
Template:VICcity^	1,536	1,662
Template:VICcity^	1,166	1,305
Template:VICcity	2,956	3,027
Template:VICcity	152	158
Template:VICcity	1,062	1,063
Template:VICcity	2,364	2,575
Template:VICcity	2,649	2,695
Template:VICcity	369	356
Template:VICcity	1,226	1,186
Template:VICcity	178	198
Template:VICcity	51	58
Template:VICcity	1,961	1,911
Template:VICcity^	252	246
Template:VICcity	1,588	1,602

^ - Territory divided with another LGA

Facilities

Nillumbik's oldest public building is the Eltham courthouse which was restored in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Eltham Library and Diamond Valley Library located in Greensborough are operated by Yarra Plenty Regional Library A mobile library service is also operated by Yarra Plenty Regional Library serving the locations of Doreen, Panton Hill, St Andrews, Hurstbridge, North Warrandye, Kangaroo Ground, Diamond Creek and Christmas Hills.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Nillumbikk U3A provides a wide range of courses open to all retired and semi-retired people<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

NillumBUG is a bicycle user group for the Nillumbik Shire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Books on the Shire of Nillumbik

Marshall, Marguerite, Nillumbik Now and Then Research, Vic. MPrint Publications, 2008 Template:ISBN

See also

• Shire of Eltham

External links

• Template:Commonscat-inline
• Official website
• Public Transport Victoria local public transport map
• Link to Land Victoria interactive maps
• Yarra Plenty Regional Library
• Eltham District Historical Society
• Local Community Wiki
• Living and Learning in Nillumbik
• Community Organisations in Nillumbik and Environs
• Nillumbik Heritage Guide
• Template:Victorian local government areas pre-1994 vs present map link