Yarra Ranges Shire
The Shire of Yarra Ranges, also known as Yarra Ranges Council, is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer eastern and northeastern suburbs of Melbourne extending into the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. It has an area of, of which 3% is classified as urban. In June 2018, it had a population of 158,173.
It was formed in 1994 by the merger of parts of the Shire of Sherbrooke, Shire of Lillydale, Shire of Healesville and Shire of Upper Yarra.Council
Yarra Ranges is divided into nine wards, each of which elects one councillor for a period of four years.Wards
- Billanook Ward, named after the Wurundjeri name for the region and pioneered by explorer Robert Hoddle
- Chandler Ward, named after a pioneering family
- Chirnside Ward, named after George Chirnside, a Mooroolbark settler and owner of the Werribee Park Mansion
- Lyster Ward, named after William Saurin Lyster, an impresario who had a dairy farm in the area
- Melba Ward, named after opera singer Dame Nellie Melba
- O'Shannassy Ward, named after O'Shannassy River and reservoir, in turn named after John O'Shanassy , Premier of Victoria in the mid 1800s.
- Ryrie Ward, named after William Ryrie who planted the first vineyards in the area
- Streeton Ward, named after Sir Arthur Streeton, a painter who lived in Olinda
- Walling Ward, named after landscape designer Edna Walling
Current composition
Localities
The towns, suburbs and localities of the Yarra Ranges Shire are:Major thoroughfares
