The United Shire of Beechworth was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

about northeast of

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 ...

, the state capital of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1856 until 1994.

History

Beechworth United Shire originated as two separate entities: the Borough of Beechworth, first created as a municipal district on 23 August 1856, becoming a borough on 11 September 1863, and the Shire of Beechworth, created on 27 December 1865 as a union of the Stanley (10 December 1862) and Wooragee (30 March 1863) Road Districts. The two entities merged on 29 December 1871, to form the United Shire of Beechworth. At its dissolution, it was the only local government entity remaining in Victoria which was styled as a 'United Shire', Accessed at

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

, La Trobe Reading Room. although many others were also the results of amalgamations. On 18 November 1994, the United Shire of Beechworth was abolished, and along with parts of the Shires of Chiltern,

Rutherglen Rutherglen (, sco, Ruglen, gd, An Ruadh-Ghleann) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having existed as a Lanarkshire burgh in its own ...

and

Yackandandah Yackandandah is a small tourist town in northeast Victoria, Australia. It is near the regional cities of Wodonga and Albury, and is close to the tourist town of Beechworth. At the , Yackandandah had a population of 2,008. History The indigeno ...

, was merged into the newly created

Shire of Indigo The Shire of Indigo, a local government area (LGA) in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, lies in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 16,490. It includes the towns of Beechworth, Ch ...

. The area around

Mudgegonga Mudgegonga is a locality in northeast Victoria, Australia. It is northeast of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Mudgegonga had a population of 172. Mudgegonga is 15 minutes from the nearest town Myrtleford; there are mainly farms situated ...

, in the southeast of the former United Shire, was transferred to the newly created

Alpine Shire The Alpine Shire is a local government area in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of and in 2022 had a population of 13,235. It includes the towns of Bright, Dinner Plain, Mou ...

Wards

The United Shire of Beechworth was divided into four ridings, each of which elected three councillors: * East Central Riding * West Central Riding * North Riding * South Riding

Towns and localities

* Baarmutha *

Beechworth Beechworth is a well-preserved historical town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the , Beechworth had a population of 3,859. Beechworth's many histor ...

* * Bowman * Brookfield * Everton *

Gapsted Gapsted is a locality in north east Victoria, Australia. The locality is in the Alpine Shire local government area, north east of the state capital, Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital ...

* Murmungee * Reids Creek * Silver Creek *

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

* Woolshed *

Wooragee Wooragee is a locality in north east Victoria, Australia. The locality is in the Shire of Indigo local government area, north east of the state capital, Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capit ...

* Council seat.

Population

* Estimate in the 1958 Victorian Year Book.

References

External links

Victorian Places - Beechworth Shire
{{Coord missing, Victoria (Australia)

1856 establishments in Australia