Rural City of Mildura

The Rural City of Mildura is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the north-western part of the state. It covers an area of being the largest LGA in the state by land size. In August 2021 the area had a population of 56,972. It includes the city of Mildura and the towns of Merbein, Red Cliffs, Irymple, Ouyen, Murrayville and Underbool.

The Rural City is governed and administered by the Mildura Rural City Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Mildura, it also has service centres located in Ouyen and a couple of other locations within Mildura. The Rural City is named after the main urban settlement, Mildura, which is also the LGA's most populous urban centre with a population of 30,647.

In 2006 the Rural City of Mildura had a population of 49,815, most of which was located in Mildura (30,016) and adjacent areas (that is Victorian Sunraysia). Many of the small towns in the region have practically disappeared as more efficient farming methods reduce the quantity of human labour required.

History

The Rural City of Mildura was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the City of Mildura, Shire of Mildura and Shire of Walpeup.

File:Victoria LGAs pre- vs post-amalgamation Mildura.png

The Rural City's predecessor LGAs (green) as they were in 1994. The administrative centres of the former LGAs are marked by green dots.

Geography

The Rural City of Mildura covers most of the Mallee region of Victoria. Before the less infertile soils were fertilised and developed for the production of wheat and barley the whole region was covered in a dense mallee scrub of deep-rooting eucalypts that regenerated after the frequent bushfires in the region. Many of the soils are so sandy that clearing is impractical, and Murray-Sunset National Park covers almost a third of the area of the LGA. Other protected areas include Hattah-Kulkyne National Park and Murray-Kulkyne Park on the Murray River.

The climate of the region is the driest in Victoria, and Neds Corner in the remote northwest has the lowest average annual rainfall in the state at . In the south at Ouyen the average is . In all the areas of the LGA there can be considerable variation in annual rainfall: the range historically has been from in 1967 to in 1973. Temperatures in the LGA are the hottest in Victoria and the average summer maximum is , but it often exceeds . Winter can be very pleasant with a maximum of , but frosts are common in the morning and can sometimes be severe.

The southeast of the LGA is used primarily for grain growing; however yields are erratic and often poor due to drought. In the north irrigated fruit growing (primarily oranges and grapes) is highly productive and supports Mildura and nearby towns; however, salinity in the Murray River is a major threat to the long-term sustainability of these activities, as is competition from overseas citrus growers.

Council

Current composition

The council is composed of nine councillors elected to represent an un-subdivided municipality. Represented in Order of Election. Council Composition as of September 2022:

Ward	Councillor		Term	Notes
Unsubdivided	Template:Australian party style|	Glenn Milne	2008—Present
	Template:Australian party style|	Ian Arney	2020—Present
	Template:Australian party style|	Liam Wood	2020—Present	Mayor
	Template:Australian party style|	Jason Modica	2016—Present	Deputy Mayor
	Template:Australian party style|	Stefano De Pieri	2020—Present
	Template:Australian party style|	Mark Eckel	2008—Present
	Template:Australian party style|	Helen Healy	2020—Present
	Template:Australian party style|	Cyndi Power	2020—2022	Resigned 2022
	Template:Australian party style|	Troy Bailey	2022—Present	Elected by Countback
	Template:Australian party style|	Jodi Reynolds	2020—Present

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Mildura Municipal Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre on Madden Avenue in Mildura, and its service centres in Ouyen and on Deakin Avenue in Mildura.

Townships and localities

At the 2021 census, the rural city had a population of 56,972 up from 53,878 in the 2016 census

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity^	3	8
Template:VICcity	643	748
Template:VICcity	13	14
Template:VICcity	488	482
Template:VICcity	821	847
Template:VICcity	22	26
Template:VICcity	70	68
Template:VICcity	329	305
Template:VICcity	36	33
Template:VICcity	69	81
Template:VICcity	28	27

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	128	118
Template:VICcity	5,325	5,977
Template:VICcity	366	397
Template:VICcity	15	16
Template:VICcity	38	32
Template:VICcity	10	13
Template:VICcity	2,713	2,770
Template:VICcity	405	407
Template:VICcity	190	223
Template:VICcity	67	70

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity	48	42
Template:VICcity	32,738	34,565
Template:VICcity	14	12
Template:VICcity	4	8
Template:VICcity	280	278
Template:VICcity	141	153
Template:VICcity	4	3
Template:VICcity	1,551	1,723
Template:VICcity	1,191	1,170
Template:VICcity	65	67

Population
Locality	2016	2021
Template:VICcity^	133	149
Template:VICcity	5,060	5,294
Template:VICcity^	57	62
Template:VICcity	32	51
Template:VICcity	20	21
Template:VICcity	215	215
Template:VICcity	158	171
Template:VICcity	71	53
Template:VICcity	112	97
Template:VICcity	322	325

^ - Territory divided with another LGA

Sister cities

Mildura has sister city relations with the following cities:

• Dali, Yunnan Province of China (established 2006)
• Kumatori, Japan (established 2001)
• Upland, California, United States of America (established 1969)

See also

• List of localities (Victoria)
• List of places on the Victorian Heritage Register in the Rural City of Mildura

External links

• Mildura Rural City Council official website
• Template:Victorian local government areas pre-1994 vs present map link