Mount Alexander Shire

The Mount Alexander Shire is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central part of the state. It covers an area of and, in August 2021, had a population of 20,253. It includes the of Castlemaine, Chewton, Elphinstone, Maldon, Newstead, Harcourt, Taradale, Fryerstown and Campbells Creek. The traditional owners of the land are the Dja Dja Wurrung.
The Shire is governed and administered by the Mount Alexander Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Castlemaine. It also has service centres located in Maldon and Newstead. The Shire is named after Mount Alexander, north-east of Castlemaine, the name of which was historically applied to the broader Castlemaine region and goldfields.

History

An earlier "Shire of Mount Alexander", centred around Guildford, existed from 1871 until 1915, when it was absorbed into the Shire of Newstead.
The modern Shire was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the City of Castlemaine, Shire of Newstead, Shire of Metcalfe and Shire of Maldon.

Council

Current composition

The council is composed of eight single member-wards.

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Castlemaine Municipal Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at both its administrative centre in Castlemaine, and its service centres in Maldon and Newstead.

Townships and localities

In the 2021 census, the shire had a population of 20,253, up from 18,761 in the 2016 census.
^ - ''Territory divided with another LGA''