Getting to know your new ward

Here we feature the four rural wards created through the restructure.

The review panel said it named wards after natural and built features or localities found within each ward.

Rural communities

When the ward boundaries were drawn up, attempts were made by the review panel to keep rural communities together as much as possible. Mooroopna has been divided across two wards, using the Midland Hwy as a recognisable boundary.

The panel acknowledged the drawbacks of the division, as raised by the Greater Shepparton City Council in its submission to the review.

Alternative options were considered unacceptable though and so the panel considered the split of Mooroopna across the Midland Hwy to be an acceptable compromise, especially given the population size of Mooroopna.

Midland Ward

This ward takes in the communities of Tatura and Merrigum and surrounding agricultural land, particularly to the west of Tatura.

Pine Lodge Ward

This ward is in the north-east of the council area and includes the towns of Congupna, Tallygaroopna, Katandra West, and Dookie using the boundaries of the Goulburn and Broken Rivers. To include enough voters in the ward, though, the outskirts of Shepparton North were added to the Pine Lodge Ward.

Goulburn River Ward

Takes in the area of Mooroopna south of the Midland Hwy, extending into the southern rural areas of the municipality, including the towns of Murchison and Toolamba, and Kialla East in its eastern portion.

Lower Goulburn Ward

This ward includes the area of Mooroopna north of the Midland Hwy between the Goulburn River and the Echuca and Minchin Rds.

It includes Undera, Mooroopna North and Coomboona.