Welcome to the Greater Hume Shire Population Forecasts

Greater Hume Shire is located in the southern New South Wales, about 370 kilometres north of Melbourne, and 520 kilometres southwest of Sydney. Greater Hume Shire is a predominantly rural area, with settlement based in the townships of Culcairn, Henty, Holbrook, Jindera and Walla Walla. Rural land is used largely for agriculture and horticulture, primarily producing wool, wheat and other grains, lucerne, cattle and sheep.

The original inhabitants of the Greater Hume Shire were the Wiradjuri Aboriginal people. European settlement dates from the late 1830s, with land used mainly grazing. The town of Holbrook (then know as Ten Mile Creek) was established in 1936. The construction of the railway line between Wagga Wagga to Albury in 1878 led to the establishment of towns at Henty and Culcairn. Expansion continued past the post-war years, with soldier settlements bringing a wave of new residents to the shire. The population varied during the early 20th century due to fluctuating environmental and economic conditions. The population was estimated at 11,000 in 1947, and by 1991 in had declined to around 9,800. It further declined to 9,500 in 2001, but experienced growth to 9,600 2006. Most recent residential growth has been focused in the southern part of the Shire within areas that are of commuting distance of Albury/Wodonga. The primary housing market role that Greater Hume Shire has played during the post-war period was to attract families and retirees from areas further north, in particular from metropolitan Sydney and the Illawarra.

The role of Greater Hume Shire as a destination for families and retirees is expected to continue over the forecast period. As a result of this, there is ongoing need for residential expansion within the Shire from both existing residents and from people moving to the area. It is assumed that a number of these patterns will continue into the future, most notably flows into the area from Sydney and the Illawarra and losses of young people to Albury.

With the contrast of residential demand across the LGA, different areas within Greater Hume Shire have developed different roles within the housing market. Jindera & District tends to predominantly attract younger family households while Holbrook & District and Culcairn & District attract lower numbers of retirees and families. The function and role of these areas in Greater Hume Shire means that population outcomes differ across the LGA.

The supply of residential property within the LGA will also have an influence in structuring different population and household futures within Greater Hume Shire over the next five to ten years. New residential opportunities are available on the outskirts of most townships, with Jindera & District expected to have the highest number of new dwellings. New development in Culcairn & District and Holbrook & District are based predominantly on residual residential land and infill of vacant lots.