21.01 MUNICIPAL PROFILE the Shire of Campaspe Is Located In

CAMPASPE PLANNING SCHEME 21.01 MUNICIPAL PROFILE 19/01/2006 VC37 The Shire of Campaspe is located in north central Victoria and covers an area of approximately 4,500 km2 (refer Map 1). Its southern border is bounded by State Forest, with its northern border aligned with the Murray River, which is situated 205 kilometres directly north of Melbourne. The western boundary is defined by the Bendigo Creek and the Campaspe River. The eastern boundary is generally defined as east of Wyuna and Kyabram and the Waranga Basin. The Shire’s location in respect to major transport links gives it a strategic advantage in accessing major markets. Campaspe’s climate, history, natural assets and location in relation to major urban centres provide the Shire with a diverse but extensive tourism focus. The Campaspe River, which bisects the Shire from north to south was named by Major Sir Thomas Mitchell in 1836 after the Greek mistress of Alexander the Great. Campaspe is part of a wide region extending east and west along the Murray River; north into NSW and as far south as the Great Dividing Range. The Murray Darling Basin Commission is the overarching body for the regional co-operation and co-ordination of approach that is so fundamental to the future of the Basin. Campaspe is split between the North Central Catchment Management Authority; and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority. The estimated resident population of the Shire in June 1996 was 35,072. Functionally, Echuca (the Shire’s major urban centre with approximately 11,000 persons) interacts with its New South Wales’ counterpart, Moama. The current population of Echuca - Moama is approximately 13,500. The bulk of the Shire’s population is centred around the northern and eastern points of the Shire, especially within the Echuca - Kyabram - Rochester triangle. The southern and western areas of the Shire are more sparsely populated. The other primary population centres of the Shire (based on the 1996 census) include Kyabram (5738 persons), Rochester (2553), Tongala (1164), Rushworth (976), Stanhope (565), Lockington (375), Gunbower (260), Girgarre (209) and Colbinabbin (120). There are approximately 12,000 residents living in non-urban areas. After experiencing sluggish population growth during the first half of the 1980s, the Shire's population grew rapidly during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Population growth in the Campaspe region has been faster than that of rural Victoria, metropolitan Melbourne and the State as a whole. Nevertheless, the overall buoyant situation masks significant discrepancies between centres within the Shire with most growth in the Echuca/Kyabram/Rochester triangle. In terms of employment, agricultural production, based on intensive irrigated areas and large tracts of dry land farming, combine to form the largest industry in the Shire (22%). Between 1981 and 1996, employment in agriculture declined by about 17 per cent. This can be attributed to structural changes in the dairy industry and the broader economy in areas affected by more automated and efficient production techniques, better storage facilities, transportation efficiencies and more traditional cropping and grazing activities being subjected to market forces. More recently, dairy deregulation in July 2000 has further contributed to structural change within agriculture with a trend towards rationalised and larger farming units to take advantage of deregulation. Other significant industries include wholesale and retail trade (17.4 per cent of all employed in 1996), community services (14.7 per cent), and manufacturing (14.7 per cent), which mainly relates to food processing and some light engineering. Significant employment growth has also been occurring in tourism, retailing and the services sector. The unemployment rate for Campaspe Shire is approximately 4.2 per cent. This compares with 6.0 per cent for regional Victoria as a whole. It is considered that the issues of concern confronting the Shire and the region include; natural resource management including water quality; salinity; rising water tables; protection of forests, wetlands and floodplains; redressing the loss of native vegetation, maintaining biodiversity. MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT- CLAUSE 21.01 PAGE 1 OF 2 CAMPASPE PLANNING SCHEME economic sustainability based on agriculture including traditional irrigated and dry land farming practices; value adding to these practices; increased development of intensive agriculture; and prospects for more innovative agricultural pursuits. regional settlement development especially in relation to the growth of some regional centres in northern Victoria at the expense of smaller towns. infrastructure provision including good road access to some parts of the region; poor and declining rail access; and haphazard telecommunications access. In response to these concerns, Council has identified the following five key themes for which strategic directions will need to be provided: Environment Agriculture Settlement Heritage Tourism MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT- CLAUSE 21.01 PAGE 2 OF 2.

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