Strategically located just three hours drive north of Melbourne, Moira Shire offers an attractive country lifestyle combined with good access to regional centres such as Shepparton, Albury/Wodonga, Wangaratta and Echuca/Moama. The Shire’s northern border is the Murray River on the New South Wales/Victoria border. Covering 4,057 square kilometres, it is the largest Shire in north east Victoria.
Key industries are agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, as well as strong tourism and growing manufacturing sectors. Moira Shire is situated on the alluvial floodplains of the Murray and Goulburn Rivers, nestled within the Goulburn-Broken and Ovens catchments. These natural river systems are an integral part of the Moira community and provide the foundation of the Shire’s historical, cultural, economic and physical identity.
Established in 1994, Moira’s major centres include Cobram, Yarrawonga, Numurkah and Nathalia, as well as 18 smaller towns and communities. Moira Shire enjoys a temperate climate, fertile soils and a generous annual rainfall. These factors combine to create a rich agricultural centre and offer a range of lifestyle choices for the community of more than 27,000 people.
While the Moira community is unified in its dependence on natural assets, it is economically, socially and culturally varied. The majority of Moira’s population was born in Australia and speaks only English. Most residents born overseas migrated from southern and northern Europe. Other than English, the most widely spoken languages are Italian and Arabic, followed by Dutch, German and Cantonese.
A significant Iraqi community is emerging in Cobram as well as other parts of the Goulburn Valley, and there is a strong Indigenous community based around Barmah. Like many Victorian municipalities, Moira Shire has an increasingly ageing population. Almost 35 per cent of residents are aged 50 years or over, and the next largest age group is 35 to 49 with almost 21 per cent.
Predominantly a farming community, parts of the Shire are now being developed as residential areas. Residential activity is increasing in Yarrawonga and a number of large residential estates have recently been built in Numurkah and Cobram.
Moira has a strong agricultural base with almost three quarters of total land area dedicated to agricultural land use. This land use is divided roughly equally between irrigated and dry land production. The dairy industry is a major contributor to the economy of both the Shire and the broader region. The Northern Irrigation Region of Victoria generates some $1,225 million in output and provides 16,300 jobs as well as $390 million in income for local households.
All these factors combine to create the Moira advantage offering the best of country living, with all the advantages of lower housing costs, quality education, health services, extensive sport and recreation facilities, many community activities and an excellent climate.
