| Type: | lga |
| Shire of Mount Rouse | |
| State: | vic |
| Region: | Barwon South West |
| Area: | 1407 |
| Est: | 1860 |
| Seat: | Penshurst |
| Pop: | 2350 |
| Pop Year: | 1992 |
| Pop Footnotes: | [1] |
| County: | Villiers |
| Near-Nw: | Dundas |
| Near-N: | Ararat |
| Near-Ne: | Ararat |
| Near-W: | Dundas |
| Near-E: | Mortlake |
| Near-Sw: | Minhamite |
| Near-S: | Warrnambool |
| Near-Se: | Mortlake |
| Noautocat: | yes |
The Shire of Mount Rouse was a local government area about 270km (170miles) west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of 1407km2, and existed from 1860 until 1994.
Mount Rouse was incorporated as a road district on 2 October 1860, and became a shire on 26 January 1864.[2]
On 23 September 1994, the Shire of Mount Rouse was abolished, and along with the City of Hamilton, the Shire of Wannon and parts of the Shire of Dundas, was merged into the newly created Shire of Southern Grampians.[3]
Mount Rouse was divided into three ridings, each of which elected three councillors:
| Year | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 2,859 | |
| 1958 | 3,010* | |
| 1961 | 3,056 | |
| 1966 | 3,044 | |
| 1971 | 2,693 | |
| 1976 | 2,569 | |
| 1981 | 2,474 | |
| 1986 | 2,263 | |
| 1991 | 2,250 |