Area profile
A quick snapshot of Alpine Shire, in North East Victoria, about 300 km north-east of Melbourne. Its main towns are Bright — the council's seat — Myrtleford and Mount Beauty, with smaller towns including Porepunkah, Harrietville, Tawonga, Tawonga South, Wandiligong and Dinner Plain. The council says about 92% of the Shire is public land, including parts of the Alpine National Park and all of Mount Buffalo National Park.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Local Government Area (LGA)
- The official area a council governs.
- Estimated Resident Population (ERP)
- The official population count for an area.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- The national statistics agency behind population figures.
The area at a glance
- Population (ERP, 30 Jun 2025)
- 13,236ABS Estimated Resident Population (preliminary). The council's own page says 'approximately 12,000'.
- Area
- 4,788.2 km²ABS figure. The VEC gives 4,790.59 km² and the council about 4,790 km².
- Population density
- ~2.8 people per km²ERP ÷ ABS area.
- Region
- North East Victoria
- Council group
- Small Shire (LGPRF comparison group)
- Rateable properties
- 9,163 assessments (2026–27 Budget)
- Localities
- 44 localities, six shared with neighbouring areasLocalities marked '(part)' are split with a neighbouring council or an alpine resort — check your rates notice to see which council you pay. The Falls Creek and Mount Hotham resort villages themselves are outside the council area (Victoria's alpine resorts are unincorporated). Part-localities are listed where at least 5% of the locality's area is inside Alpine.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Abbeyard3737
- Barwidgee3737
- Bogong3699
- Bright3741
- Buckland3740
- Buffalo River3737
- Cobungra (part)3898
- Coral Bank3691
- Dandongadale3737
- Dargo (part)3862
- Dederang3691
- Dinner Plain3898
- Eurobin3739
- Falls Creek (part)3699
- Freeburgh3741
- Gapsted3737
- Germantown3741
- Glen Creek3691
- Gundowring (part)3691
- Harrietville3741
- Havilah3737
- Hotham Heights (part)3741
- Kancoona3691
- Kergunyah South3691
- Merriang3737
- Merriang South3737
- Mongans Bridge3691
- Mount Beauty3699
- Mount Buffalo3740
- Mudgegonga3737
- Myrtleford3737
- Nug Nug3737
- Ovens3738
- Porepunkah3740
- Rosewhite3737
- Running Creek3691
- Selwyn3737
- Smoko3741
- Tawonga3697
- Tawonga South3698
- Upper Gundowring3691
- Wandiligong3744
- Wongungarra (part)3862
- Wonnangatta3737
On the map
The shaded area is the official Local Government Area boundary.
The shaded area on the map is the Local Government Area boundary; area and density figures come from the ABS, not from the map. The locality list is our own overlay of Vicmap locality and postcode boundaries (September 2026) on the ABS council boundary; CSA's suburb-and-postcode rows for Alpine list 41 of these localities (all but Germantown, Havilah and Wongungarra).
Sources — check it yourself
- ABS — Regional population, 2024–25 (data cube 32180DS0002, Table 2: Victoria; LGA 20110) · ERP 30 Jun 2025
- ABS — Regional population (latest release) · Mar 2026
- Alpine Shire Council — About Alpine Shire (towns, public land, distance from Melbourne) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Alpine Shire Council (council area) · Sep 2026
- Alpine Shire Council — Budget 2026/27 (PDF; §5.1.6.5 number of assessments) · 2026–27
- Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) — LGA Recorded Offences, Table 03 (postcode and suburb by LGA) · Jul 2016 to Jun 2026
- DataVic — Vicmap Admin locality polygons · Sep 2026
- DataVic — Vicmap Admin postcode polygons · Sep 2026
- DataVic — Vicmap Admin LGA polygons (incl. unincorporated alpine resorts) · Sep 2026
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.