Mitchell Shire extends from Melbourne’s northern fringe to the farming country of north central Victoria. It is an expansive Shire that sits in Victoria’s geographic heart. Its towns include Wallan, Kilmore, Broadford, Seymour, Pyalong and Tallarook.
It is also a Shire with a sense of direction and purpose in its planning for the future. A mix of rural holdings blend with Mitchell’s townships to create a diverse region that provides a welcome stopping place for travellers on the Hume Freeway and the Goulburn Valley and Northern Highways.
The Shire has strong links with early European settlement and a proud recognition of its history. Each of Mitchell’s towns and communities have a distinct identity that nurtures a healthy mix of urban and rural lifestyles.
Mitchell Shire is home to the large army training base at Puckapunyal. The base is a significant employment generator and has a strong affinity with the neighbouring town of Seymour.
Seymour is an established regional centre with a strong social, cultural, educational and economic identity.
The town’s commercial and service infrastructure is well developed and effectively meets the needs of its residents and those in outlying areas. Its role as a regional centre is being strengthened with the redevelopment of the Station Street commercial precinct.
To the south, Broadford, with its steadily growing population is the centre of Local Government administration in the Shire and home to two of Mitchell’s major employers – Australian Paper and Nestle.
Broadford is a town with an independent quality that is reflected in the atmosphere of the town centre and its surrounding urban developments. Kilmore is Victoria’s oldest inland town and its legacy of early Australian buildings provides an historical focus.
Horseracing and allied industries have long been important to the area, as has the renowned Assumption College and, more recently the Kilmore International School. Neighbouring Wallan and Wandong, are experiencing strong residential growth as people choose the benefits of a rural lifestyle coupled with the employment opportunities in nearby Melbourne.
Mitchell Shire Council through its Corporate Plan, developed in consultation with government agencies, community interest groups and individual residents, sets out a number of straties central to maintaining and strengthening the individual needs of the separate towns and the Shire as a whole.
Council has further identified means to utilise and take advantage of the existing infrastructure and facilities in its future planning. Mitchell Shire is a municipality with a strong eye on its future, while maintaining a firm hold on and a healthy respect for its past.
