Bass Coast Shire

Bass Coast Shire
Victoria
Location in Victoria
Population35,327 (2018)[1]
 • Density40.793/km2 (105.65/sq mi)
Established1994
Gazetted2 December 1994[2]
Area866 km2 (334.4 sq mi)[1]
MayorCr Clare Le Serve[3]
Council seatWonthaggi
RegionGippsland
State electorate(s)Bass
Federal division(s)Monash
WebsiteBass Coast Shire
LGAs around Bass Coast Shire:
Casey Cardinia Baw Baw
Mornington Peninsula Bass Coast Shire South Gippsland
Bass Strait Bass Strait 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 866 square kilometres (334 sq mi) 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.[2]

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]

Ward Party Councillor Notes
Bunurong   Independent Les Larke
  Independent National Brett Tessari
  Independent Labor Leticia Laing
Island   Independent Ron Bauer President of the Reason Party in Victoria from 2017 until 2018.[5]
  Independent David Rooks
  Independent Michael Whelan
Westernport   Independent Clare Le Serve Current Mayor (2023/24)
  Independent Labor Geoff Ellis
  Independent Rochelle Halstead Deputy Mayor (2023/24)

2020 election results

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2020 Victorian local elections in Gippsland § Bass Coast.[edit]
2020 Victorian local elections: Bass Coast[6][7]
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Independent 16,082 47.68 6
  Independent National 6,372 18.89 1
  Independent Liberal 4,645 13.77 1
  Independent Labor 4,284 12.70 1
  Greens 1,639 4.86 0
  Liberal 708 2.10 0
 Formal votes 33,730 96.91
 Informal votes 1,077 3.09
 Total 34,807 100.0 9
 Registered voters / turnout 42,627 81.65

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.[8]

Population
Locality 2016 2021
Adams Estate 59 83
Almurta 48 66
Anderson 28 26
Archies Creek 22 32
Bass 359 405
Cape Paterson 891 1,111
Cape Woolamai 1,676 2,301
Churchill Island 0 0
Corinella 791 1,181
Coronet Bay 791 1,108
Cowes 4,839 6,593
Dalyston 583 843
Glen Alvie 165 182
Population
Locality 2016 2021
Glen Forbes 106 118
Grantville 831 1,168
Harmers Haven 37 62
Inverloch^ 5,437 6,526
Jam Jerrup 97 106
Kernot 100 118
Kilcunda 396 578
Kongwak^ 197 207
Krowera^ 108 134
Lance Creek 136 143
Lang Lang^ 1,585 2,556
Loch^ 638 707
Newhaven 449 547
Population
Locality 2016 2021
North Wonthaggi 2,806 3,475
Outtrim^ 235 270
Pioneer Bay 352 365
Pound Creek^ 104 126
Queensferry * #
Rhyll 568 836
Ryanston 271 324
San Remo 1,254 1,700
Silverleaves 211 322
Smiths Beach 226 315
South Dudley 461 421
St Clair 49 44
Summerlands 0 0
Population
Locality 2016 2021
Sunderland Bay 234 306
Sunset Strip 427 503
Surf Beach 533 670
Tenby Point 184 206
The Gurdies 191 243
Ventnor 855 982
Wattle Bank 177 250
West Creek 109 113
Wimbledon Heights 373 421
Wonthaggi 4,965 5,215
Woodleigh 125 126
Woolamai 208 245

^ - Territory divided with another LGA
* - Not noted in 2016 Census
# - Not noted in 2021 Census

Facilities

  • Local markets[9]

Cape Paterson

Wonthaggi

Phillip Island

Krowera

  • Garlic Farm, Olive Farm, Wayside Lookout, Dairy Farms

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.[16]

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

References

  1. ^ a b c "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. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b Victoria Government Gazette – Online Archive (1837–1997). "S94 of 1994 - Order estg (Part 2) the Bass Coast Shire". State Library of Victoria. State Government of Victoria (published 2 December 1994). p. 2. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Councillors and Elections".
  4. ^ Local Government in Victoria. "Bass Coast Shire Council". Victorian Electoral Commission. State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  5. ^ "RON BAUER". BASS COAST RATEPAYERS AND RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION.
  6. ^ "Bass Coast Shire Council election results 2020". Victorian Electoral Commission.
  7. ^ "Election 2020". Bass Coast Post.
  8. ^ "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 11 January 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Bass Coast Information Centres (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2012, retrieved 19 November 2013
  10. ^ Bass Coast Information Centres, retrieved 13 November 2013
  11. ^ Wonthaggi Historical Society, retrieved 11 November 2013
  12. ^ Parks Victoria, retrieved 27 October 2013
  13. ^ Wonthaggi Golf Club, retrieved 11 November 2013
  14. ^ Bass Coast Regional Health, archived from the original on 28 September 2013, retrieved 30 October 2013
  15. ^ Inverloch Shell Museum, retrieved 14 November 2013
  16. ^ Department of Environment And Primary Industries, retrieved 11 November 2013
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bass Coast.

38°32′00″S 145°32′00″E / 38.53333°S 145.53333°E / -38.53333; 145.53333