The Shire of Macedon Ranges is a region in

Central Victoria North Central Victoria is a rural region in the Australian state of Victoria. The region lies to the south of the Victorian/New South Wales border as defined by the Murray River, to the southwest of the Hume region, to the west of the Great Div ...

, Australia, best known for its expansive native forests, iconic geographical attraction

Hanging Rock Hanging Rock may refer to: Australia * Hanging Rock, New South Wales, a mining village on the Northern Tablelands * Hanging Rock, Victoria, a rock formation **''Picnic at Hanging Rock (novel)'', a 1967 novel by Australian author Joan Lindsay ** ...

, and thriving artisan food and wine industries. The region covers an area of . It is located in between the cities of

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. In June 2018 the shire had a population of 49,388. It includes the towns of Gisborne,

Gisborne South Gisborne South is a locality in the southern part of the Macedon Ranges, a 40-minute drive from Melbourne, Australia. Known for its vineyards, olive groves and thriving equestrian and alpaca industries, Gisborne South is the closest to Melbourn ...

Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Shire of Macedon Ranges, Macedon Ranges region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The Calder Highway, Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. Kyneton is on Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and W ...

Lancefield Lancefield is a town in the Shire of Macedon Ranges local government area in Victoria, Australia north of the state capital, Melbourne and had a population of 2,743 at the 2021 census. History The area was used by the indigenous aborigin ...

Macedon Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...

Malmsbury Malmsbury is a town in central Victoria, Australia on the Old Calder Highway (C794), 95 km north-west of the state capital, Melbourne and 11 km north-west of Kyneton. Situated close by the Coliban River, Malmsbury has a population ...

Mount Macedon Mount Macedon ( Aboriginal Woiwurrung language: ''Geboor'' or ''Geburrh'') is a dormant volcano that is part of the Macedon Ranges of the Great Dividing Range, located in the Central Highlands region of Victoria, Australia. The mountain has ...

New Gisborne New Gisborne is a suburb of Gisborne in Victoria, Australia, in the foothills of Mount Macedon in the Shire of Macedon Ranges. The Gisborne railway station on the Bendigo line The Deniliquin railway line (also known as the Echuca railway ...

, Riddells Creek,

Romsey Romsey ( ) is a historic market town in the county of Hampshire, England. Romsey was home to the 17th-century philosopher and economist William Petty and the 19th-century British prime minister, Lord Palmerston, whose statue has stood in the t ...

and Woodend. The Shire is named after the region's major geographical feature, the

Macedon Ranges The Macedon Ranges is a region in Central Victoria, known for its expansive native forests, vibrant arts scene, thriving food and wine industries (including weekly farmers' markets) and natural attractions such as Hanging Rock and Mount Macedon. It ...

. It has become one of Victoria's most popular tourist attractions and contains some of its most sought-after real estate. It is governed and administered by the Macedon Ranges Shire Council; its

seat of local government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...

and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Kyneton, it also has service centres located in Gisborne, Romsey and Woodend. . Macedon Ranges was one of the highest-rated areas in Australia in the Quality of Life Index 2008. It was the highest rated in Victoria (outside Melbourne), and was 13th of 590 Australian local government areas.

Council

Current composition

The Shire of Macedon Ranges was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the

Shire of Romsey The Shire of Romsey was a local government area about north-north-west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1862 until 1995. History Romsey was incorporated as a road distric ...

, Shire of Gisborne,

Shire of Newham and Woodend The Shire of Newham and Woodend was a local government area about northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1861 until 1995. History The Woodend, Newham and Rochford R ...

, and most of the

Shire of Kyneton The Shire of Kyneton was a Local government in Australia, local government area about northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1859 until 1995. Hist ...

. The council is composed of three wards and nine councillors, with three councillors per ward elected to represent each ward. Local government areas of Victoria (Australia) Loddon Mallee (region) North Central Victoria

Administration and governance

The Council meets in the Council chambers at Gisborne, which is also the location of one of the Council's administrative centres. It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre in Kyneton, and its service centres in Gisborne, Romsey and Woodend.

Education

Gisborne Secondary College Gisborne Secondary College is a co-educational secondary school located in Gisborne, Victoria, established in 1981. The current enrolment is 1071 students. Students attend from years seven to twelve. The college serves a large proportion of the s ...

, the largest Secondary School in the shire, is located in Gisborne and provides both academic and vocational programs for over 1000 students from across the Macedon Ranges.

Kyneton Secondary College Kyneton High School is a secondary school in Kyneton, Victoria, Australia, approximately 90 km north of Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian s ...

is Kyneton's state secondary school, along with Sacred Heart College (Catholic), and

Braemar College (One body, many parts) , established = 1975 , type = Independent, co-educational , denomination = Anglican, Catholic and Uniting , principal = Russell Deer , city = Woodend , state = Victoria , country = Australia ...

east of Woodend (Ecumenical, co-educational) as the largest non-government secondary schools in the shire. In addition to a range of primary schools across the shire
Candlebark Primary School
an
Alice Miller High School
(whose principal is John Marsden, renowned Australian author and educator) provide alternative education options.

Main towns in shire

In June 2018 the shire had a population of 49,388.

References

External links

Macedon Ranges Shire Council official websiteResidents associationMetlink local public transport mapLink to Land Victoria interactive maps

Gisborne & Mount Macedon Districts Historical Society
{{Coord, 37, 21, 00, S, 144, 37, 00, E, type:adm2nd_region:AU-VIC, display=title