Bass Coast Shire Explained

Type:lga
Bass Coast Shire
State:vic
Pop:35327
Pop Year:2018
Pop Footnotes:[1]
Area:866
Est:1994
Gazetted:2 December 1994[2]
Mayor:Cr Clare Le Serve[3]
Seat:Wonthaggi
Region:Gippsland
Url:http://www.basscoast.vic.gov.au
Stategov:Bass
Fedgov:Monash
Near-Nw:Casey
Near-N:Cardinia
Near-Ne:Baw Baw
Near-W:Mornington Peninsula
Near-E:South Gippsland
Near-Sw:Bass Strait
Near-S:Bass Strait
Near-Se:Bass Strait

The Bass Coast Shire is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the southeastern part of the state. It covers an area of 866km2 and in June 2018 had a population of 35,327.[1] It includes the towns of Bass, Cape Paterson, Cape Woolamai, Corinella, Coronet Bay, Cowes, Inverloch, Kilcunda, Lang Lang, Newhaven, Rhyll, San Remo, Summerlands and Wonthaggi as well as the historic locality of Krowera. It also includes the popular tourist destination Phillip Island. It was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Bass, Shire of Phillip Island, Borough of Wonthaggi, parts of the Shire of Woorayl, Shire of Korumburra and City of Cranbourne.

The Shire is governed and administered by the Bass Coast Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is the council headquarters in Wonthaggi, with other service centres located in Cowes, Grantville and Inverloch. The Shire is named after its most precious asset, the coasts of Bass Strait and Western Port.

Council

Current composition

The council is composed of three wards and nine councillors, with three councillors elected to represent each ward.[4]

WardPartyCouncillorNotes
Bunurong IndependentLes Larke
 Independent NationalBrett Tessari
 Independent LaborLeticia Laing
Island IndependentRon BauerPresident of the Reason Party in Victoria from 2017 until 2018.[5]
 IndependentDavid Rooks
 IndependentMichael Whelan
Westernport  IndependentClare Le Serve Current Mayor (2023/24)
 Independent LaborGeoff Ellis
 IndependentRochelle HalsteadDeputy Mayor (2023/24)

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Wonthaggi Municipal Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre in Wonthaggi, and its service centre in Cowes.

Townships and localities

At the 2021 census, the shire had a population of 40,789, as compared to 32,804 in the 2016 census.[6]

Population
Locality 2016 2021
59 83
48 66
28 26
22 32
359 405
891 1,111
1,676 2,301
0 0
791 1,181
791 1,108
4,839 6,593
583 843
165 182
Population
Locality 2016 2021
106 118
831 1,168
37 62
^ 5,437 6,526
97 106
100 118
396 578
^ 197 207
^ 108 134
136 143
^ 1,585 2,556
^ 638 707
449 547
Population
Locality 2016 2021
2,806 3,475
^ 235 270
352 365
^ 104 126
568 836
271 324
1,254 1,700
211 322
226 315
461 421
49 44
0 0
Population
Locality 2016 2021
234 306
427 503
533 670
184 206
191 243
855 982
177 250
109 113
373 421
4,965 5,215
125 126
208 245
^ - Territory divided with another LGA
  1. - Not noted in 2021 Census

Facilities

Cape Paterson

Wonthaggi

Phillip Island

Krowera

Kilcunda

Inverloch

Protected areas

Collecting empty seashells, driftwood, twigs, sea glass and other non-living materials or interesting rubbish of small size and in small quantities is legal from most beaches along the Bass Coast, with the exception of Wilsons Promontory, the Bunurong Marine National Park and most of Phillip Island.

On Phillip Island most beaches are off-limits for shell collecting and are run by Phillip Island Nature Parks, with the exceptions of Ventnor, Cowes, Rhyll and Newhaven.

The Bunurong Marine National Park is a middle outstretching section of Bunurong Marine Park along the coastline of Harmers Haven, Cape Paterson and Inverloch. The restricted zone (Bunurong Marine National Park inside Bunurong Marine Park) is an area south-west past Cape Paterson's Safety Beach and Undertow Bay; namely The Oaks, Twin Reefs, Shack Bay and Eagles Nest.

See also

External links

-38.5333°N 145.5333°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018 . Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. Web site: S94 of 1994 - Order estg (Part 2) the Bass Coast Shire . Victoria Government Gazette – Online Archive . 1837–1997 . State Library of Victoria . State Government of Victoria . 2 December 1994 . 2 . 10 January 2014.
  3. Web site: Councillors and Elections.
  4. Web site: Bass Coast Shire Council . Local Government in Victoria . Victorian Electoral Commission . State Government of Victoria . 3 November 2017.
  5. Web site: RON BAUER . BASS COAST RATEPAYERS AND RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION.
  6. Web site: Census Australian Bureau of Statistics . www.abs.gov.au . en . 11 January 2023.