Shire of Nillumbik
The Shire of Nillumbik is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It contains Melbourne's outer north-eastern suburbs, including the major centres of Eltham and Diamond Creek, as well as numerous rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 432 square kilometres and at the, the Shire had a population of 62,895. The Shire uses the tag-line The Green Wedge Shire. The Nillumbik Council offices are located in Civic Drive, Greensborough.
The shire's name is derived from the Parish of Nillumbik, which was named in the 1830s, the term nyilum bik meaning "bad earth" or "red earth" in the local Aboriginal language Woiwurrung.
Nillumbik was rated third of 590 Australian local government areas in the Bankwest Quality of Life Index 2008.
History
Formation
In the early 1980s, a group known as the "Rural Shire Action Committee" pushed for the creation of a "Green Wedge" shire in the area. This was to have had similar boundaries to modern Nillumbik, but would have excluded the non-Green Wedge-zoned areas of Yarrambat and North Warrandyte and the built-up areas of Diamond Creek, Eltham and Research. The proposal was investigated and reported on by the State Government's Local Government Commission, but ultimately no action was taken.The concept of the Green Wedge shire re-emerged during the major overhaul of local government in the early 1990s. This time, the proposed boundaries included a sufficient urban population base to sustain key municipal services such as libraries and a pool. In 1994, the Shire of Nillumbik was formed from the merger of:
- the Shire of Eltham,
- the Diamond Creek, Plenty and Yarrambat areas of the Shire of Diamond Valley,
- the Christmas Hills and Bend of Islands areas of the Shire of Healesville, and
- the Arthurs Creek area and the rural part of Doreen from the City of Whittlesea.
As a council
On 13 October 1998, the five councillors of Nillumbik Council were suspended by then Local Government minister Rob Maclellan, with the state government declaring that infighting was affecting the ability of the council to function. The number of councillors was subsequently increased to seven.Council
The current council was elected in October 2024 for a four-year term.Townships and localities
The 2021 census recorded the shire population at 62,895, up from 61,273 in the 2016 census.^ - ''Territory divided with another LGA''
Facilities
Nillumbik's oldest public building is the Eltham courthouse which was restored in 2022.Eltham Library and Diamond Valley Library located in Greensborough are operated by A mobile library service is also operated by Yarra Plenty Regional Library serving the locations of Doreen, Panton Hill, St Andrews, Hurstbridge, North Warrandye, Kangaroo Ground, Diamond Creek and Christmas Hills.
Nillumbikk U3A provides a wide range of courses open to all retired and semi-retired people
NillumBUG is a bicycle user group for the Nillumbik Shire.