City profile
Swan Hill Rural City Council covers part of northern Victoria along the Murray River, which forms its border with New South Wales. The largest towns are Swan Hill and Robinvale, with Lake Boga, Nyah, Nyah West, Woorinen, Piangil, Manangatang, Ultima and Boundary Bend. The area mixes irrigated horticulture along the river with dryland farming further west.
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 June 2025)
- 20,962ABS Estimated Resident Population (preliminary). The council's own page gives a 2021 ABS figure of 21,403 and says it believes the ABS undercounts Robinvale: a study the council commissioned put Robinvale at about 7,900 people and the municipality at about 25,560.
- Area
- 6,116 km²ABS (6,115.5 km²).
- Population density
- About 3.4 people per km²ABS population ÷ ABS area (our calculation).
- Wards
- None — 7 councillors elected across the whole municipality
- Council group (LGPRF)
- Large Shire
- Rateable properties
- 12,460 assessments (2026/27 budget)
- Traditional Custodians
- Acknowledged by the councilIn the council's words: 'Swan Hill Rural City Council acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, and pays its respects to their elders, past and present.'
- Council offices
- Swan Hill (45 Splatt Street) and Robinvale (72 Herbert Street)
Suburbs & postcodes
- Annuello3549
- Bannerton3549
- Beauchamp (part)3579
- Beverford3590
- Bolton3546
- Boundary Bend3599
- Bulga3586
- Castle Donnington3585
- Chillingollah3585
- Chinangin3544
- Chinkapook3546
- Cocamba3546
- Fish Point3585
- Gerahmin3546
- Goschen3585
- Gowanford3544
- Happy Valley3549
- Kenley3597
- Kooloonong3597
- Kunat3585
- Lake Boga3584
- Lake Powell3597
- Liparoo3549
- Manangatang3546
- Meatian (part)3585
- Miralie3596
- Murnungin3544
- Murraydale3586
- Murrawee3586
- Narrung3597
- Natya3597
- Nowie3585
- Nyah3594
- Nyah West3595
- Nyrraby3585
- Pental Island3586
- Piangil3597
- Pira3585
- Polisbet3585
- Robinvale3549
- Speewa3585
- Swan Hill3585
- Swan Hill West3585
- Tol Tol3549
- Towan3596
- Tresco3583
- Tresco West3584
- Turoar3546
- Tyntynder3586
- Tyntynder South3586
- Tyrrell (part)3533
- Ultima3544
- Ultima East3544
- Vinifera3591
- Waitchie3544
- Wandown3549
- Wemen3549
- Winlaton3585
- Winnambool3546
- Wood Wood3596
- Woorinen3589
- Woorinen North3589
- Woorinen South3588
On the map
The shaded area is the official Local Government Area boundary.
The council doesn't publish a list of localities, so we intersected the official Vicmap locality boundaries with the ABS council boundary: a locality is listed when at least 5% of its area is inside the council, and marked '(part)' when less than 95% is. Meatian (about 53% inside), Tyrrell (about 44%) and Beauchamp (about 11%) are shared with neighbouring councils. Happy Valley is 'Happy Valley (Robinvale)' in Vicmap. Postcodes come from the CSA's suburb-and-postcode table (Table 03) and, for localities not in it, from Vicmap postcode boundaries. If you live in a split locality, your rates notice shows which council you pay. The shaded area on the map is the ABS council boundary (ASGS 2025); area and density figures use the ABS area.
Sources — check it yourself
- ABS — Regional population 2024–25, data cube 32180DS0002 Table 2 (Victoria; LGA 26610) · ERP 30 Jun 2025
- ABS — Regional population, latest release · Released Mar 2026
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — About Our Municipality (council's population estimate) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Swan Hill Rural City Council (unsubdivided, 7 councillors) · Sep 2026
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Budget 2026/27, section 4.1.1(d) number of assessments (PDF) · 2026–27
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Contact us (offices; Acknowledgement of Country) · Sep 2026
- Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) — LGA Recorded Offences, Table 03 (suburb and postcode by LGA) · Jul 2025 to Jun 2026
- DataVic — Vicmap Admin locality polygons · Sep 2026
- Local Government Victoria — LGPRF 2020–2025 Full Council Data Set (council group: Large Shire) · 2024–25
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.