The Shire of Bairnsdale was a Local Government Area located about 280 kilometres (174 mi) east of Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, the state capital of Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The shire covered an area of 2277.9 square kilometres (879.5 sq mi), and existed from 1867 until 1994. For its first hundred years it governed both Bairnsdale

Bairnsdale, Victoria

Bairnsdale is a small city in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. With a population at the 2006 census of 11,282, it is a major regional centre of eastern Victoria along with Traralgon and Sale....

 and the surrounding area; however, after that time, Bairnsdale had its own city government

City of Bairnsdale

The City of Bairnsdale was a Local Government Area located about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The City covered an area of , and existed from its split from the Shire of Bairnsdale in 1967 until 1994.-History:...

.

History

Bairnsdale was first incorporated as a district on 30 April 1867, and became a shire on 14 July 1868. On 6 January 1882, what is now the Shire of Tambo

Shire of Tambo

The Shire of Tambo was a Local Government Area located about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1882 until 1994.-History:...

, centred on Lakes Entrance

Lakes Entrance, Victoria

Lakes Entrance is a tourist resort and fishing port in eastern Victoria, Australia. It is situated approximately east of Melbourne, near a managed, man-made channel connecting the Gippsland Lakes to the Bass Strait. At the 2006 census, Lakes Entrance had a population of 4,094.The township was...

, split away from Bairnsdale. On 27 May 1914 and 1 October 1964, it lost some land to its west to the Shire of Avon

Shire of Avon

The Shire of Avon was a Local Government Area located about north of Sale, the major regional centre in central Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1864 until 1994.-History:...

. On 31 May 1967, after a poll of ratepayers, the Centre Riding and parts of the East Riding severed to form the Town of Bairnsdale

City of Bairnsdale

The City of Bairnsdale was a Local Government Area located about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The City covered an area of , and existed from its split from the Shire of Bairnsdale in 1967 until 1994.-History:...

 (which became a City in 1990).

On 2 December 1994, the Shire was abolished, and merged with City of Bairnsdale

City of Bairnsdale

The City of Bairnsdale was a Local Government Area located about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The City covered an area of , and existed from its split from the Shire of Bairnsdale in 1967 until 1994.-History:...

, Shire of Orbost

Shire of Orbost

The Shire of Orbost was a Local Government Area located about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1892 until 1994.-History:...

, Shire of Tambo

Shire of Tambo

The Shire of Tambo was a Local Government Area located about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1882 until 1994.-History:...

, most of Shire of Omeo

Shire of Omeo

The Shire of Omeo was a Local Government Area located about east-northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1872 until 1994.-History:...

 and the Boole Boole Peninsula from Shire of Rosedale

Shire of Rosedale

The Shire of Rosedale was a Local Government Area stretching between the towns of Traralgon and Sale in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1869 until 1994.-History:...

 into the Shire of East Gippsland. The West Dargo region merged into the Shire of Wellington.

Wards

Bairnsdale was divided into three ridings , each of which elected three councillors:

• East Riding
• West Riding
• South Riding

Towns and localities

• Eagle Point
• Fernbank
  Fernbank, Victoria
  Fernbank is a small country town on the Perry River in Victoria, Australia, approximately 310 km east of Melbourne. As of the 2001 census, the small town of Fernbank had a population of 630...
  
  
• Iguana Creek
• Lindenow
  Lindenow, Victoria
  Lindenow is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on Dargo Road, in the Shire of East Gippsland near Bairnsdale.At the 2006 census, Lindenow had a population of 338....
  
  
• Lucknow
• Mount Taylor
• Paynesville
  Paynesville, Victoria
  Paynesville is a tourist/holiday resort town in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Paynesville had a population of 2967. The town is located east of the state capital, Melbourne. It is known as the boating capital of Victoria....
  
  
• Walba
• Wy Yung

Population

Year	Population
1954	10,104
1958	10,880*
1961	11,198
1966	11,559
1971	3,741
1976	4,473
1981	5,245
1986	6,481
1991	7,239

* Estimate in the 1958 Victorian Year Book.