Shire of Bass | |||||||||||||
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 Location in Victoria | |||||||||||||
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 The Shire of Bass as at its dissolution in 1994 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| Region | South Gippsland | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1871 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Archies Creek | ||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 526 km2 (203 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 5,170 (1992)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 9.829/km2 (25.46/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| County | Mornington | ||||||||||||
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TheShire of Bass was alocal government area about 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-southeast ofMelbourne, the state capital ofVictoria,Australia. The shire covered an area of 526 square kilometres (203.1 sq mi), and existed from 1871 until 1994.
Its administrative centre was located inArchies Creek.
Bass was first incorporated as thePhillip Island Road District on 8 September 1871, and became the Shire of Phillip Island and Woolamai on 24 December 1874. When the Phillip Island Riding was severed on 19 September 1928, its name changed to the Shire of Woolamai, and finally the Shire of Bass on 8 January 1929. It was reduced and redefined in 1977, including the loss ofNorth Wonthaggi to theBorough of Wonthaggi.[2]
The shire's area covered the majority of the mainland of the currently existingBass Coast Shire, except for the areas ofWonthaggi,Inverloch, parts of the areas south ofKorumburra and some of the coastline southwest ofThe Gurdies. The shire area spanned from the tiny township of The Gurdies (located approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) south of Melbourne, on theBass Highway) toDalyston, while the northern parts spanned aroundKernot,Almurta,Glen Forbes and other areas northwest of Inverloch.
On 2 December 1994, the Shire of Bass was abolished, and along with theBorough of Wonthaggi, theShire of Phillip Island and parts of theCity of Cranbourne and the Shires ofKorumburra andWoorayl, was merged into the newly createdBass Coast Shire.[3]
The Shire of Bass was divided into three ridings, each of which elected three councillors:
* Council seat.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 3,761 |
| 1958 | 3,990* |
| 1961 | 3,851 |
| 1966 | 3,834 |
| 1971 | 3,752 |
| 1976 | 3,947[4] |
| 1981 | 3,221[4] |
| 1986 | 4,010 |
| 1991 | 4,903 |
* Estimate in the 1958 Victorian Year Book.
