Shire of Yea | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Yea Shire Hall in High St, Yea | |||||||||||||
 The Shire of Yea as at its dissolution in 1994 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| Region | Hume | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1869 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Yea | ||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 1,392.32 km2 (537.58 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 5,030 (1992)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 3.613/km2 (9.357/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| County | Anglesey | ||||||||||||
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TheShire of Yea was alocal government area about 110 kilometres (68 mi) northeast ofMelbourne, the state capital ofVictoria,Australia. The shire covered an area of 1,392.32 square kilometres (537.6 sq mi), and existed from 1869 until 1994. The shire's population was dominated by the town ofYea.
Yea was first incorporated as aroad district on 1 February 1869, and became a shire on 28 November 1873.
Its boundaries changed a number of times throughout its existence:[2]
The Shire was described in the 1949Australian Blue Book as an elevated area given to pastoral and dairying pursuits, along with sheep and cattle grazing. By 1994, 51% of Yea's land was under cultivation as farmland, with theKinglake National Park and Yea River Regional Park, as well as the Murrindindi Forest, the latter being important to Yea's economy for timber production, accounting for much of the rest.[3]
On 18 November 1994, the Shire of Yea was abolished, and along with theShire of Alexandra and parts of theCity of Whittlesea and the Shires ofBroadford,Eltham,Euroa andHealesville, was merged into the newly createdShire of Murrindindi.[4]
Yea's ridings were abolished on 27 May 1930, and all councillors represented the entire shire.
* Council seat.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1911 | 2,603 |
| 1954 | 2,866 |
| 1958 | 2,920* |
| 1961 | 2,697 |
| 1966 | 2,620 |
| 1971 | 2,970 |
| 1976 | 3,071 |
| 1981 | 4,437 |
| 1986 | 4,200 |
| 1991 | 4,744 |
* Estimate in the 1958 Victorian Year Book.
