The Shire of Buloke is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and, in August 2021, had a population of 6,201. It includes the towns of Birchip, Charlton, Donald, Sea Lake and Wycheproof.
The Shire is governed and administered by the Buloke Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the Council headquarters in Wycheproof, it also has service centres located in Birchip, Charlton, Donald and Sea Lake. The Shire is named after a major geographical feature in the region, Lake Buloke, which is located in the south of the LGA; the name also comes from the "buloke" or "bulloak" tree Allocasuarina luehmannii, which is common in the region.
Within the Shire, agriculture, particularly grain production, is the predominant source of income and employment.
History The Shire of Buloke was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Wycheproof, Shire of Birchip, Shire of Charlton, Shire of Donald, and parts of the Shire of Kara Kara.
Council
Current composition The council is composed of three wards and six councillors, with two councillors elected to represent each of the wards. WardCouncillorNotesLower Avoca Bruce Stafford Stephen Barratt Mallee Bernadette Hogan Alan Getley Mount Jeffcott Graeme Milne Mayor Charmaine Delaney
Administration and governance The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Wycheproof Municipal Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at its administrative centre in Wycheproof.
Election results 2024
2020
Towns and localities In the 2021 census, the shire's population was 6,178, down from 6,201 in the 2016 census.
Population Locality 2016 2021 10 19 25 22 18 22 184 180 9 11 702 694 3 9 8 19 ^ 51 52 21 18 18 18 1,050 1,095 8 8 3 0 ^ 31 30 ^ 58 42 23 33 22 10 101 86 26 20 1,498 1,472 9 13
Population Locality 2016 2021 24 18 12 23 6 7 ^ 13 14 * # 34 34 9 18 14 6 18 17 28 28 20 15 32 26 ^ * 4 11 6 15 14 ^ 21 21 0 0 ^ 19 16 51 36 0 6 10 23 9 10
Population Locality 2016 2021 10 17 39 30 23 24 46 50 14 9 ^ 22 19 93 92 24 17 8 6 24 28 3 3 ^ 3 9 640 619 Springfield 3 9 4 11 3 3 17 23 15 12 ^ 22 20 10 4 ^ 3 3 ^ 11 4
Population Locality 2016 2021 0 0 3 7 3 4 ^ 13 16 11 9 5 11 16 31 4 13 114 124 ^ 18 29 41 43 30 25 ^ 49 28 35 35 20 26 ^ 11 12 635 610 12 6 0 5 31 34 ^ 16 11
^ - Territory divided with another LGA * - Not noted in 2016 Census # - Not noted in 2021 Census
Traditional owners The traditional owners of this area are the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagalk and Dja Dja Wurrung.
See also List of places on the Victorian Heritage Register in the Shire of Buloke
References
External links Buloke Shire Council official website Metlink local public transport map Link to Land Victoria interactive maps