21.02 MUNICIPAL PROFILE 19/01/2006 VC37 21.02-1 Introduction 19/01/2006 VC37 Loddon Shire Is Very Much a Rural Municipality
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LODDON PLANNING SCHEME 21.02 MUNICIPAL PROFILE 19/01/2006 VC37 21.02-1 Introduction 19/01/2006 VC37 Loddon Shire is very much a rural municipality. It consists of farm land, forest, native grasslands, lakes, rivers and wetlands interspersed with small townships and hamlets. The Shire is home to a proud, vibrant and self reliant community with an economy centred around a valuable and diverse agricultural industry. 21.02-2 Location 19/01/2006 VC37 Loddon Shire is located in north central Victoria, commencing approximately 180 kilometres north west of Melbourne and immediately north west of Bendigo. It has an approximate area of 6700 square kilometres and extends over 100 kilometres north to south and over 80 kilometres east to west. The Shire is adjoined by the municipalities of Greater Bendigo and Campaspe to the east, Gannawarra to the north, Buloke to the west and Northern Grampians, Central Goldfields and Mount Alexander to the south. 21.02-3 State and Regional Context 19/01/2006 VC37 There is a range of major land use issues that have significance and influence beyond the municipal boundary. Catchment Management The Shire is located within the Loddon River and Avoca River catchments, which are part of the Murray Darling Basin. The way in which the catchments are managed within the Loddon Shire directly influences water quality beyond the Shire’s boundaries. The catchments in the Shire are within the area managed by the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA). The NCCMA is responsible for providing the over- arching strategic direction for natural resource management in the region. The North Central Regional Catchment Strategy identifies six priorities for the region. These are: Salinity; Biological diversity; Waterways and water resources; Soil health; Pest plants and animals; and Regional development (includes increased profitability, structural adjustment, agribusiness expansion and sustainable communities.) Reversal of land degradation and enhancement of the natural resource base to improve water quality are priorities for the region, the State and the Murray Darling Basin Commission. Rare and threatened flora and fauna The flora and fauna of the Shire are important components of the intricate and diverse patchwork of the State’s environment and its biodiversity. The Shire contains native grasslands and Box Ironbark forest that are considered rare and under protected at State and MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.02 PAGE 1 OF 22 LODDON PLANNING SCHEME National levels. State and nationally significant fauna of the Shire include the Grey Crowned Babbler, the Plains Wanderer, the Brush Tailed Phascogale, the Native Quoll and the Striped Legless Lizard. Salinity Management Control of the spread of salinity in the region is partially dependent on the maintenance of vegetation in areas of the State of high water table recharge. The Shire, along with other municipalities, must ensure that the undulating areas in the south of the Shire which are part of the Central Highlands are appropriately managed to prevent the spread of salinity throughout the lower lying areas. Likewise, use of water in the low lying irrigation areas must be sustainably managed to minimise recharge to ground water. Heritage The Shire contains a number of buildings and sites of State and National heritage significance. These places include Memsie Homestead, Glenalbyn Grange, Pyramid Hill Railway Station, Spring Hill Homestead and Charlie Napier Hotel and are protected by State Government heritage legislation. Agriculture In terms of agriculture, the Shire is significant in that it produces 18% of Victoria’s lucerne hay, 17% of Victoria’s tomatoes and 10% of Victoria’s pig meat. It contributes some 2.83% of the State’s total agricultural output. Tourism The Loddon Shire is located within the Goldfields and Murray Outback Tourism Regions of Victoria. Gold Mining The southern area of the Shire is part of the Central Victorian Goldfields and contains much of the area recognised as Victoria’s “Golden Triangle”. Transportation Corridors The Loddon Valley Highway and the Calder Highway move people and goods to, from and through the Shire and provide links to Bendigo, Melbourne and the north of the State. Rail links are provided from a number of key towns to other centres and are most significant for their role in grain transportation to Melbourne ports. Regional Centres Bendigo, as a key regional centre, offers access to higher order goods and services to the residents of the Shire. Public land There are significant tracts of public land, mainly in the west and south of the Shire, managed by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and Parks Victoria as Hardwood and Eucalyptus Oil Production areas, State Park (including Leaghur and Kooyoora) and Flora, Fauna, Scenic, Bushland and Historic Reserves. MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.02 PAGE 2 OF 22 LODDON PLANNING SCHEME 21.02-4 Community and Settlement 19/01/2006 VC37 Population In 1998, the estimated population of Loddon was 8,941 persons. Loddon Age & Sex 99+ 90-94 80-84 70-74 60-64 Female 50-54 Male 40-44 30-34 20-24 10-14 0-4 400 300 200 100 0 100 200 300 400 Significant characteristics of the population of Loddon are: At the 1996 Census, people aged over 35 years formed the largest component of the population of the Shire; At the 1996 Census, age groups below 15 years formed 20% of the overall population, while people aged between 15 and 30 years represented just over 10% of the total population; At the 1996 Census, there was a significant number of older people in the Shire, especially in the urban areas, with people aged over 70 years representing 12% of the population; There is a higher proportion of people aged over 50, in comparison to regional Victoria as a whole; There is a lower proportion of people aged between 18 and 34, in comparison to regional Victoria as a whole; There is a higher proportion of individuals and households earning less than $500 per week, in comparison to regional Victoria as a whole; There is a higher proportion of single person households, in comparison to regional Victoria as a whole; There is a higher proportion of residents born in Australia, in comparison to regional Victoria as a whole; 47% of the total population is employed in agriculture, 15.8% is employed in retail, 10.6% is employed in manufacturing, 8.2% is employed in health and community services and 6.4% is employed in education; 53.5% of males in Loddon are employed in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry; MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.02 PAGE 3 OF 22 LODDON PLANNING SCHEME Since 1991, there has been a decrease in the number of people employed in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector. Source: Department of Infrastructure – 1996 Settlement Consistent with Loddon being a rural municipality, almost 62% of Loddon’s community resides in the rural areas of the Shire, with the remaining 38% living in the townships. In the rural areas of the Shire, the majority of residents live on agricultural properties. In the south of the Shire rural residential living is a popular lifestyle option, afforded by the proximity to Bendigo and attractive undulating agricultural and bush settings. Significant areas of rural residential living exist around Inglewood, Bridgewater, Wedderburn, Moliagul, Dunolly, Laanecoorie, Tarnagulla and Newbridge. There is no one dominant urban centre of the Shire, rather it has a number of small centres serving the surrounding rural areas. The larger of the urban centres of the Shire include Boort, Inglewood, Pyramid Hill and Wedderburn. There are six urban centres with populations of over 200 people in Loddon. The 1996 populations of these towns are set out below: Boort 805 Wedderburn 708 Inglewood 699 Pyramid Hill 527 Bridgewater 282 Korong Vale 247 Source: ABS Census 1996 Other smaller settlements of the Shire are Bears Lagoon, Dingee, Eddington, Jarklin, Laanecoorie, Mitiamo, Newbridge, Serpentine and Tarnagulla. Although these settlements are small, they each play a vitally important social, service provision, residential and community focus and function in their respective districts. The towns of the Shire generally provide retail, health, community and education facilities. The standard and degree to which these services are offered vary between the townships. MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.02 PAGE 4 OF 22 LODDON PLANNING SCHEME Strategic Framework Plan MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.02 PAGE 5 OF 22 LODDON PLANNING SCHEME Boort Boort is an attractive township located on a lunette overlooking the Boort Lakes. The town is a service centre to the surrounding agricultural district. Little Lake Boort is a significant tourism asset and is used for water sports, including water skiing. The Big Lake, Lake Lyndger and Woolshed Swamp are wetlands of outstanding environmental value and are also the location of sites of aboriginal heritage of national significance. Boort is a large urban centre in the Shire, supporting a hospital, aged hostel, and a secondary college, as well as important sporting, recreational and tourist facilities. The quality of residential development is generally high and should be maintained. Boort is proposed to be sewered in 2000, introducing a higher standard of amenity to the town and providing scope for infill development. Several value-adding industries, such as a hay exporter and feed mill (Hi-cube, and Johnson-Asahi) operate in the western outskirts of the township. It is important that these industries be protected from urban encroachments and vice versa. Other small industries exist within the town and their ongoing sustainability should be supported. Boort has significant transport links, including rail, to Melbourne and an airstrip, which is progressively being upgraded to an all weather standard. This infrastructure provides significant opportunities for local industry in terms of export.