Our Shire
Mansfield’s picturesque Shire is only a 2.5 hour drive north of Melbourne. The landscape is dominated by the Great Dividing Range and includes the Alpine resorts of Mt. Buller and Mt. Stirling. Natural environment features within Mansfield Shire are the Alpine National Park and Australia’s second largest inland waterway – Lake Eildon. Mansfield Shire boasts major river systems, lakes, mountains, vast tracts of what is referred to as ‘High Country’, and broad, productive valleys where agriculture and rural living integrate. With Mansfield Shire being a nationally recognised icon location, our municipality is in high demand for recreation and lifestyle activities.
The major urban centre of our Shire is Mansfield and there are numerous outlying communities scattered across the municipality. Each of these townships have a strong sense of community and not only celebrate the place in which they live, but they also have their own history, distinct character and sense of identity.
Find out about Mansfield people and their households from the most recent Census of Population and Housing. View the Mansfield Community Profile for key data prepared by the demographic specialists id consulting Pty Ltd.
Population growth
Our Shire has been recognised as one of the fastest growing municipalities for more than a decade, with a population growth of around 2% each year since 2001. The combination of lifestyle and proximity to Melbourne has seen the permanent population grow from 6,631 in 2001 to 8,605 in 2016. The Shire’s population growth is accelerating due to in-migration mainly from metro Melbourne, going up by 299 people in 2020 alone.
How we use population statistics
We are required to ensure our services and facilities are accessible, inclusive and respond to current and emerging needs across life stages. We use community profile statistics and population forecasts extensively to provide insight and allow us to prepare broad strategies and plans.
In addition to broad strategic planning, we use this data for small community planning (e.g. amenities in a town) and for detailed service planning (e.g. kindergarten provision).
Members of the community can use the data for business planning, strategic planning and grant applications for community groups and for personal study purposes.
Our Economy
We have a strong economy, with agriculture being one of the Shire’s key economic drivers, contributing $60.7m to our economy. Cattle and sheep grazing, along with seed production, are major industries within the Shire. Grape and tomato production are also significant as are many agriculture related service industries. In 2019/20, the total tourism and hospitality sales in Mansfield Shire was $74.7m, the total value added was $36.6 million.
It is estimated that Mansfield Shire has 1311 businesses, an employment base of 3,829 and an industry output of $457m. The Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing industry had the largest number of total registered businesses in Mansfield Shire (299), comprising 22.8% of all total registered businesses, compared to 5.9% in Victoria.
Find out about the local economy in Mansfield including local jobs, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and industries.
Traditional Owners
We acknowledge the Taungurung people as the traditional owners of the land on which our offices are located. We pay respect to the Taungurung Elders, past, present and future and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.