Shire of West Wimmera

Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Australian place The Shire of West Wimmera is a local government area in the western part of the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of Template:Convert and in June 2018 had a population of 3,862.<ref name=ABSLGA/> It includes the towns of Apsley, Edenhope, Goroke, Gymbowen, Harrow, Kaniva, Minimay, Nurcoung and Serviceton.

The Shire is governed and administered by the West Wimmera Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Edenhope, it also has a service centre located in Kaniva. The Shire is named after the Wimmera region, in which the LGA occupies the western portion. The LGA is also located entirely to the west of the Wimmera River, which actually meanders through the Rural City of Horsham to the east.

History

The Shire of West Wimmera was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Kaniva, the bulk of the Shire of Kowree, the northern half of the former Shire of Glenelg and part of the Shire of Arapiles.<ref name="Gazette" />

File:Victoria LGAs pre- vs post-amalgamation West Wimmera.png

West Wimmera 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

The council is composed of five councillors elected to represent an unsubdivided municipality.<ref name=ECResults>Template:Cite web</ref> Council Composition as of November 2022.<ref name=ECResults/>

Ward	Councillor		Notes
Unsubdivided	Template:Australian party style|	Helen Hobbs
	Template:Australian party style|	Tim Meyer	Mayor
	Template:Australian party style|	Jodie Pretlove	Deputy Mayor
	Template:Australian party style|	Richard William Hicks
	Template:Australian party style|	Tom Houlihan

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers in the Edenhope and Kaniva Municipal Offices. It also provides customer services at both centres.

Controversies

In April 2022, Mayor Bruce Meyer caused outrage by likening requests to display the internationally recognised LGBTIQ+ pride flag to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) to the promotion of pedophilia.<ref name=Controversy>Template:Cite web</ref>

Townships and localities

The 2021 census documented the shire's population at 4,006, up from 3,903 in the 2016 census.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	277	329
Template:VICcity	61	69
Template:VICcity^	3	8
Template:VICcity	12	6
Template:VICcity^	145	65
Template:VICcity	38	42
Template:VICcity^	86	85
Template:VICcity	24	23
Template:VICcity^	43	57
Template:VICcity	38	21

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity^	65	74
Template:VICcity	946	937
Template:VICcity	299	295
Template:VICcity^	*	#
Template:VICcity	52	60
Template:VICcity^	200	184
Template:VICcity	41	41
Template:VICcity^	803	891
Template:VICcity	12	9
Template:VICcity	111	100

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	15	14
Template:VICcity	110	112
Template:VICcity	28	33
Template:VICcity	84	64
Template:VICcity	40	36
Template:VICcity^	69	66
Template:VICcity	55	56
Template:VICcity	40	33
Template:VICcity	30	25

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	62	58
Template:VICcity	48	49
Template:VICcity	40	26
Template:VICcity	15	5
Template:VICcity	120	129
Template:VICcity^	21	25
Template:VICcity	45	44
Template:VICcity	43	47
Template:VICcity	41	49

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

See also

• List of places on the Victorian Heritage Register in the Shire of West Wimmera

External links

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

Template:Australia-gov-stub Template:GrampiansAU-geo-stub