Welcome to the Golden Plains Shire Council Population Forecasts

Golden Plains Shire is located in south western Victoria, strategically positioned between Geelong and Ballarat and between 70 and 130 kilometres west of Melbourne. The Shire is predominantly rural, with major population centres at Bannockburn, Lethbridge, Teesdale and Inverleigh. Early settlement in the Shire dates from the 1830s, with land used for grazing and timber getting. In the 1850s and 1860s, the discovery of gold promoted the establishment of townships at Bannockburn, Linton, Scarsdale, Smythesdale and Steiglitz. The Shire continued to experience growth in the second half of the 19th Century, aided by the construction of the Ballarat-Geelong railway. In recent decades, the areas of the Shire closest to Geelong and Ballarat have experienced residential growth, a result of their proximity to employment in major centres, topography and rural atmosphere. The primary housing market role that the Shire has played in this period is providing alternative housing options for older families generally originating in Geelong and to a lesser extent, Melbourne and Ballarat.

There is expected to be continued demand for residential expansion within the areas of the Shire closest to Geelong from both existing residents and from external migrants, most notably from suburban Geelong. It is assumed that this pattern will continue into the future, as sufficient supplies of land have been identified for development.

With the variety of residential and rural locations, different areas within the Shire have developed different roles within the housing market. Areas in the south east of the Shire such as Bannockburn, Batesford and rural residential subdivision are attractive to both young and mature families that have generally moved from suburban Geelong and to a lesser extent Melbourne. While areas closer to Ballarat also attract some younger families, they also experience a significant net loss of young adults and school leavers who tend to move to larger centres for education and employment. This trend is common to most rural and regional areas in Australia. The variety of function and role of the small areas in Golden Plains Shire means that population outcomes differ across the Shire.

There are also significant differences in the supply of future residential land within the Shire which will also have a major influence in structuring different population and household futures over the next five to ten years. Significant new development opportunities have been identified in Bannockburn and to a lesser extent Inverleigh while the more rural areas of the Shire have relatively low amounts of new dwellings expected over the forecast period.