Yarra Ranges Shire

Not to be confused with City of Yarra.

The Shire of Yarra Ranges, also known as Yarra Ranges Council, is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer eastern and northeastern suburbs of Melbourne extending into the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. It has an area of 2,468 square kilometres (953 sq mi),^[1] of which 3% is classified as urban.^[2] In June 2018, it had a population of 158,173.^[1]

Shire of Yarra Ranges Victoria
Location in Victoria
Map of Melbourne with Yarra Ranges LGA highlighted.
Population	158,173 (2018)[1] (45th)
• Density	64.090/km2 (165.99/sq mi)
Established	15 December 1994
Area	2,468 km2 (952.9 sq mi)[1]
Mayor	Sophie Todorov
Council seat	Lilydale
Region	Greater Melbourne
State electorate(s)	Croydon Eildon Evelyn Monbulk Warrandyte
Federal division(s)	Casey
Website	Shire of Yarra Ranges
LGAs around Shire of Yarra Ranges: Nillumbik Manningham Murrindindi Mansfield Maroondah Shire of Yarra Ranges Baw Baw Knox Casey Cardinia

It was formed on 15 December 1994 by the merger of parts of the Shire of Sherbrooke, Shire of Lillydale, Shire of Healesville and Shire of Upper Yarra.^[3]

History

Prior to European settlement, the land within and beyond the Yarra Ranges was occupied by the Wurundjeri people.^[4]

European settlement was established from the 1830s with settlers engaging in agriculture and gold mining.^[4]

Shire Offices, Lilydale (building prior to 2010s-20s overhaul and extension)

Council

Yarra Ranges is divided into nine wards, each of which elects one councillor for a period of four years.^[3]

Wards

• Billanook Ward, named after the Wurundjeri name for the region and pioneered by explorer Robert Hoddle^[5]
• Chandler Ward, named after a pioneering family^[5]
• Chirnside Ward, named after George Chirnside, a Mooroolbark settler and owner of the Werribee Park Mansion^[5]
• Lyster Ward, named after William Saurin Lyster, an impresario who had a dairy farm in the area^[5]
• Melba Ward, named after opera singer Dame Nellie Melba^[5]
• O'Shannassy Ward, named after O'Shannassy River and reservoir, in turn named after John O'Shanassy (sic.), Premier of Victoria in the mid-1800s^[5]
• Ryrie Ward, named after William Ryrie who planted the first vineyards in the area^[5]
• Streeton Ward, named after Sir Arthur Streeton, a painter who lived in Olinda^[5]
• Walling Ward, named after landscape designer Edna Walling^[5]

Current composition

Ward[6]	Suburbs[6]	Party		Councillor[7]	Elected	Notes
Billanook	Lilydale, Mt Evelyn, Wandin North		Independent	Tim Heenan	2016
Chandler	Kalorama, Macclesfield, Monbulk, Seville, Silvan, Wandin, Olinda (part), Montrose (part), Mt Evelyn (part)		Independent Liberal	Gareth Ward	2024
Chirnside	Chirnside Park, Mooroolbark		Independent	Richard Higgins	2016	Deputy Mayor
Lyster	Belgrave, Belgrave Heights, Belgrave South, Kallista, Lysterfield, Menzies Creek, Narre Warren East, Selby, Sherbrooke, Tecoma, The Patch		Independent	Peter Mcilwain	2024
Melba	Lilydale, Mooroolbark		Independent Liberal	Mitch Mazzarella	2024
O'Shannassy	Don Valley, Gladysdale, Hoddles Creek, Launching Place, McMahons Creek, Millgrove, Powelltown, Reefton, Warburton, Wesburn, Woori Yallock, Yarra Junction, Yellingbo		Independent National	Jim Child	2012	Mayor
Ryrie	Badger Creek, Chum Creek, Coldstream, Dixon's Creek, Gruyere, Healesville, Steels Creek, Tarrawarra, Yarra Glen, Yering		Independent	Fiona McAllister	2012
Streeton	Ferny Creek, Montrose, Mt Dandenong, Olinda, Sassafras, Tremont, Upper Ferntree Gully, Upwey		Independent	Jeff Marriott	2024
Walling	Kilsyth, Mooroolbark, Montrose		Independent	Len Cox	1982[a]

Election results

2024

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 Victorian local elections in Eastern Melbourne § Yarra Ranges results.[edit]

2024 Victorian local elections: Yarra Ranges^[8]

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Independent		48,551	67.74	–9.31	6	2
	Independent Liberal		10,385	14.49	+7.44	2	2
	Independent Libertarian		5,127	7.15	+6.13	0
	Independent National		4,360	6.08	–0.80	1
	Greens		1,083	1.51	–0.44	0
	Animal Justice		791	1.10	+1.10	0
	Independent Labor		762	1.06	–3.73	0
	Victorian Socialists		618	0.86	+0.86	0
Formal votes			71,677	95.97
Informal votes			3,012	4.03
Total			74,689	100.00		9
Registered voters / turnout			116,724[b]	83.02[c]

Townships and localities

The shire had a population of 156,068 at the 2021 census, an increase from 149,537 recorded at the 2016 census.^[9]

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Badger Creek	1,563	1,610
Beenak	25	17
Belgrave	3,929	3,894
Belgrave Heights	1,360	1,398
Belgrave South	1,645	1,670
Big Pats Creek	73	60
Cambarville	0	0
Chirnside Park	9,872	11,779
Chum Creek	983	981
Coldstream	2,164	2,199
Dixons Creek	334	344
Don Valley	576	586
East Warburton	864	906
Emerald^	5,778	5,890
Fernshaw	0	0
Ferny Creek	1,518	1,524
Gilderoy	65	62
Gladysdale	444	423
Gruyere	946	966
Healesville	7,461	7,589
Hoddles Creek	627	676
Kallista	1,437	1,418
Kalorama	1,239	1,277
Kilsyth^	10,891	11,699
Launching Place	2,394	2,495
Lilydale	16,531	17,348
Lysterfield^	6,663	6,681
Macclesfield	851	878
Matlock^	4	7
McMahons Creek	125	143
Menzies Creek^	998	966
Millgrove	1,653	1,666
Monbulk	3,577	3,651
Montrose	6,761	6,900
Mooroolbark	21,967	23,059
Mount Dandenong	1,251	1,271
Mount Evelyn	9,702	9,799
Mount Toolebewong	140	119
Narre Warren East	419	434
Olinda	1,738	1,773
Powelltown	217	214
Reefton	59	102
Sassafras^	1,061	970
Selby	1,652	1,626
Seville	2,378	2,559
Seville East	797	837
Sherbrooke	265	294
Silvan	1,246	1,323
Steels Creek	225	276
Tarrawarra	78	81
Tecoma	2,082	2,064
The Patch	1,065	1,046
Three Bridges	199	188
Toolangi^	344	366
Toorongo^	0	0
Tremont	77	69
Upper Ferntree Gully^	3,416	3,417
Upwey	6,652	6,818
Wandin East	431	408
Wandin North	3,051	3,132
Warburton	2,012	2,020
Wesburn	1,019	1,052
Wonga Park^	3,796	3,843
Woori Yallock	2,913	2,964
Yarra Glen	2,869	3,012
Yarra Junction	2,549	2,875
Yellingbo	534	582
Yering	115	138

^ - Territory divided with another LGA

Major thoroughfares

Pre-2010 Council logo

• Burwood Highway (State Route 26)
• Canterbury Road/Swansea Road/Anderson Street (south) (State Route 32 / C401) (briefly merges with C415 before turning to SR32 (and SR22 respectively))
• Maroondah Highway (State Route 34 / B300)
• Belgrave-Hallam Road/Monbulk Road/Hereford Road (C404) (briefly merges with C406)
• Belgrave Road (State Route 26)
• Olinda-Monbulk Road/Emerald Monbulk Road
• Warburton Highway (B380)
• Healesville- Koo Wee Rup Road (C411)
• Mount Dandenong (Tourist) Road (State Route 22 / C415)

Notes

1. First elected to Shire of Lillydale before council amalgamations in 1994.
2. This number is inclusive of the total number of enrolled voters across all wards.
3. This number does not include enrolled voters from uncontested wards. It is the total turnout for contested wards only.