Area profile
A quick snapshot of Southern Grampians Shire, in western Victoria between the Grampians and the Great South Coast. Hamilton is its largest town and the council's seat, with smaller towns including Coleraine, Dunkeld, Penshurst, Cavendish, Balmoral, Glenthompson, Branxholme and Tarrington. The council acknowledges the Shire is on the traditional lands of the Gunditjmara, Tjap Wurrung, Jardwadjali and Buandig people.
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)
- 16,483ABS Estimated Resident Population (preliminary).
- Area
- 6,654.0 km²ABS figure.
- Population density
- ~2.5 people per km²ERP ÷ ABS area.
- Region
- Great South Coast (south-west Victoria)
- Council group
- Large Shire (LGPRF comparison group)
- Rateable properties
- 11,303 assessments (2026–27 Budget)
- Localities
- About 60 localities, several shared with neighbouring councilsLocalities marked '(part)' are split with a neighbouring council — check your rates notice to see which council you pay. Part-localities are listed where at least 5% of the locality's area is inside Southern Grampians.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Balmoral3407
- Bellfield (part)3381
- Bochara3301
- Branxholme (part)3302
- Brit Brit3315
- Buckley Swamp3301
- Bulart3314
- Byaduk (part)3301
- Byaduk North3300
- Carapook (part)3312
- Cavendish3314
- Cherrypool (part)3401
- Clover Flat (part)3315
- Coleraine3315
- Coojar3315
- Croxton East3301
- Culla3315
- Dunkeld3294
- Englefield3407
- Gatum3407
- Gazette (part)3289
- Glenisla (part)3314
- Glenthompson (part)3293
- Grampians3314
- Gringegalgona3315
- Gritjurk3315
- Hamilton3300
- Harrow (part)3317
- Hensley Park3301
- Hilgay3315
- Karabeal3294
- Konongwootong3315
- Melville Forest3315
- Mirranatwa3294
- Mooralla3314
- Morgiana3301
- Mount Napier3301
- Moutajup3294
- Muntham (part)3315
- Nareeb (part)3293
- Nareen (part)3315
- Penshurst (part)3289
- Pigeon Ponds3407
- Purdeet (part)3289
- Rocklands3401
- Strathkellar3301
- Tabor3289
- Tahara (part)3301
- Tarrayoukyan (part)3315
- Tarrenlea3315
- Tarrington3301
- Vasey3407
- Victoria Point3294
- Victoria Valley3294
- Wando Vale (part)3312
- Wannon3301
- Warrayure3301
- Woodhouse3294
- Wootong Vale3315
- Yatchaw3301
- Yulecart3301
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, cross-checked against the suburb-and-postcode rows CSA reports for Southern Grampians.
Sources — check it yourself
- ABS — Regional population, 2024–25 (data cube 32180DS0002, Table 2: Victoria; LGA 26260) · ERP 30 Jun 2025
- ABS — Regional population (latest release) · Mar 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Southern Grampians Shire Council (council area) · Sep 2026
- Southern Grampians Shire Council — Council Plan 2025–2029 (PDF; acknowledgement of Traditional Owners) · Sep 2026
- Southern Grampians Shire Council — Budget 2026–2027 (PDF; 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
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.