City of Melton | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location of Melton within Melbourne's metropolitan area. | |||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||
 Interactive map of City of Melton | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| Region | Greater Melbourne | ||||||||||||
| Established | 16 September 1862 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Melton | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Cr Steve Abboushi | ||||||||||||
| • State electorates | |||||||||||||
| • Federal divisions | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 528 km2 (204 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 178,960 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 338.9/km2 (877.8/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| County | Bourke | ||||||||||||
| Website | City of Melton | ||||||||||||
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TheCity of Melton is alocal government area inVictoria, Australia, onMelbourne's westernrural–urban fringe.
It covers 528 square kilometres (203.9 sq mi), and as of the2021 census, Melton had a population of 178,960.[1]
It is governed by theMelton City Council. Theseat of local government and administrative offices are located at Council headquarters inMelton, the settlement after which the city takes its name which lies at the western end of the LGA and is currently its largest urban area with a population of over 54,000.[3]
City of Melton has a rapid population growth rate, ranked 3rd fastest among LGAs in Victoria in 2010.[4] It was granted city status in 2012.[5]
Melton was first incorporated as a district on 16 September 1862, and became a shire on 24 May 1871. Parts of the north and south ridings of the Shire of Braybrook (laterCity of Sunshine) were annexed to Melton as the Rockbank Riding on 24 May 1916, and this was added to in 1951. Other minor boundary adjustments withBulla andKeilor occurred in May 1959. The Shire had a total area of 450.4 square kilometres (173.9 sq mi).[6]
In 1994, following large-scale statewide local government reform, Melton acquired theExford district from theCity of Werribee, growing to its present size.[7]
Since the early 1970s the Shire had undergone tremendous population growth and as of 2006[update], Melton was one of Victoria's fastest-growing local government areas along with neighbouringWyndham.[8]
After several years of community consultation to defer applying for city status until it had reached 150,000,[9][10] the council nevertheless reversed the decision and city status was granted in September, 2012.[5] The first elected Mayor under the 'City" status was Kathy Majdlik.[citation needed]
In the 2020 Local Government elections, Melton had its first Aboriginal Councillor elected, Cr Ashleigh Vandenberg, (aWiradjuri woman, the first Aboriginal Councillor in Melbourne's Western Suburbs).[11]
Bush ballad "Click Go the Shears" was first published in 1891 in a local newspaper by "C.C. of Eynesbury".[12] Eynesbury was a homestead and grazing property owned by Samuel Staughton.[13]
CS Gallery is a contemporary exhibition space located at Caroline Springs Library and Learning Hub. It provides opportunities for artists and groups to exhibit and does not charge fees or commission. Melton Library and Learning Hub provides a number of hanging walls for the presentation of visual art and community exhibitions.[14]
The City's area is divided into ten wards, each electing a single member. The Councillors elect a mayor from among the council's members.
Following the2024 local election, the current councillors are:[15]
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullum Bullum | Independent Labor | Steve Abboushi | Mayor | |
| Cambrian | Independent | Bob Turner | ||
| Coolibah | Independent | Brandi Morris | ||
| Hilltop | Independent Labor | John Verdon | ||
| Jackwood | Independent Labor | Ashleigh Vandenberg | ||
| Lake Caroline | Independent | Kathy Majdlik | ||
| Mount Atkinson | Independent Labor | Phillip Zada | ||
| Stringybark | Independent Liberal | Julie Shannon | ||
| Sugar Gum | Independent Labor | Lara Carli | Deputy Mayor | |
| Watts | Independent | Sophie Ramsey | ||
The city had a population of 178,960 at the 2021 census, up from 135,443 recorded at the 2016 census.[16]
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locality | 2016 | 2021 |
| Aintree | * | 7,982 |
| Bonnie Brook | * | 333 |
| Brookfield | 9,216 | 10,782 |
| Burnside | 4,751 | 5,800 |
| Burnside Heights | 6,072 | 6,377 |
| Caroline Springs | 24,205 | 24,488 |
| Cobblebank | * | 3,601 |
| Deanside | * | 654 |
| Diggers Rest^ | 2,763 | 5,669 |
| Exford | 107 | 133 |
| Eynesbury^ | 2,577 | 2,838 |
| Fieldstone | * | # |
| Fraser Rise | * | 9,097 |
| Grangefields | * | 132 |
| Harkness | * | 12,463 |
| Hillside^ | 193 | 290 |
| Kurunjang | 10,070 | 10,711 |
| Melton | 8,069 | 7,953 |
| Melton South | 11,517 | 11,362 |
| Melton West | 17,589 | 8,784 |
| Mount Cottrell^ | 569 | 496 |
| Parwan^ | 170 | 188 |
| Plumpton | 4,324 | 79 |
| Ravenhall | 1,157 | 2,295 |
| Rockbank | 1,536 | 2,583 |
| Strathtulloh | * | 3,997 |
| Taylors Hill | 14,921 | 15,419 |
| Thornhill Park | * | 3,066 |
| Toolern Vale^ | 724 | 818 |
| Truganina^ | 20,687 | 36,305 |
| Weir Views | * | 4,398 |
^ -Territory divided with anotherLGA
* -Not noted in 2016 Census
# -Not noted in 2021 Census
| Year | Population | Annual Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 1,424 | N/A |
| 1958 | 1,580[17] | 2.63 |
| 1961 | 1,804[17] | 4.52 |
| 1966 | 2,542[17] | 7.10 |
| 1971 | 5,974[17] | 18.64 |
| 1976 | 13,856[17] | 18.32 |
| 1981 | 21,300[17] | 8.98 |
| 1986 | 29,500 | 6.73 |
| 1991 | 35,695 | 3.89 |
| 1996 | 39,109 | 1.84 |
| 2001 | 51,685 | 5.73 |
| 2006 | 78,448[18] | 8.70 |
| 2011 | 109,259[18] | 7.86 |
| 2016 | 135,443 | |
| 2021 | 178,960 |
Recent large housing projects include:
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Media related toCity of Melton at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
37°40′58″S144°34′27″E / 37.6827°S 144.5741°E /-37.6827; 144.5741
