Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Australian place The Shire of Colac Otway is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of Template:Convert and in June 2018 had a population of 21,503.<ref name=ABSLGA/> It includes the towns of Apollo Bay, Beeac, Beech Forest, Birregurra, Colac, Cressy, Forrest, Johanna, Kennett River, Lavers Hill, Warrion and Wye River. It came into existence on 23 September 1994 through the amalgamation of the local government areas of City of Colac, Shire of Colac, part of the Shire of Otway and part of the Shire of Heytesbury.<ref name=Gazette />

The Shire is governed and administered by the Colac Otway Shire Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Colac, it also has a service centre located in Apollo Bay. The Shire is named after the combination of the names for the former City of Colac, and Shires of Colac and Otway, from which the majority of the LGA was formed. The name Colac is used for both the main urban settlement and the lake, Lake Colac, which are located in the north-centre of the LGA. Colac is also the most populous urban centre in the LGA with a population of almost 12,000.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The name Otways is used for the major geographical features located in the south of the LGA, which are The Otways and Cape Otway. Cape Otway was originally named by Lieutenant James Grant who was the commander of the vessel, the Lady Nelson.<ref name="VPotway">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He named it after Captain William Otway who was one of the commissioners of the Transport Board, on 7 December 1800.<ref name=VPotway/>

HistoryEdit

The Colac district is the traditional land for the Gulidjan people and was known as “Kolak” or “Kolakgnat” which means ‘belonging to sand’.<ref name="COSabout">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Gulidjan people are of the Easter Maar Nation.<ref name=COSabout/>

The earliest European settlers arrived in the district in the 1830s and settled around Lake Colac.<ref name="HisSocsh">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CouncilEdit

Current compositionEdit

The council is composed of seven councillors elected to represent an unsubdivided municipality. In order of election in 2020, they are:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ward Party Councillor Notes
Unsubdivided Template:Australian party style| Independent Tosh-Jake Finnigan citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>|

Template:Australian party style| Independent Chris Potter
Template:Australian party style| Independent Graham Lesie Costin
Template:Australian party style| Independent Kate Hanson
Template:Australian party style| Greens Stephen Hart
Template:Australian party style| Independent Jamie Bell
Template:Australian party style| Independent Margaret White

Former Wards (1996–2008)Edit

  • Colac – had three councillors
  • Murray – had one councillor
  • Otway – had one councillor
  • Warrion – had one councillor

Administration and governanceEdit

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

Election resultsEdit

2024Edit

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2020Edit

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Townships and localitiesEdit

The 2021 census, the shire had a population of 22,423 up from 20,972 in the 2016 census<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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Population
Locality 2016 2021
Template:VICcity 0 0
Template:VICcity 132 141
Template:VICcity 1,598 1,790
Template:VICcity 67 59
Template:VICcity 434 458
Template:VICcity 235 291
Template:VICcity 7 11
Template:VICcity 9 10
Template:VICcity 131 136
Template:VICcity 370 394
Template:VICcity 82 125
Template:VICcity^ 828 942
Template:VICcity 62 65
Template:VICcity 15 34
Template:VICcity^ 135 168
Template:VICcity^ 134 115
Template:VICcity^ 36 42
Template:VICcity 9,048 9,243
Template:VICcity 217 168
Template:VICcity 81 89

Template:Column

Population
Locality 2016 2021
Template:VICcity 161 171
Template:VICcity 310 358
Template:VICcity 115 119
Template:VICcity^ 175 176
Template:VICcity 11 15
Template:VICcity^ 9 10
Template:VICcity 55 77
Template:VICcity 30 28
Template:VICcity 2,900 3,260
Template:VICcity 65 43
Template:VICcity 19 13
Template:VICcity 230 257
Template:VICcity 210 230
Template:VICcity^ 13 19
Template:VICcity 105 112
Template:VICcity 28 33
Template:VICcity 4 4
Template:VICcity 43 44
Template:VICcity 345 365
Template:VICcity 125 100

Template:Column

Population
Locality 2016 2021
Template:VICcity 76 84
Template:VICcity^ 188 185
Template:VICcity 63 85
Template:VICcity 166 189
Template:VICcity 41 74
Template:VICcity 194 200
Template:VICcity 78 87
Template:VICcity 239 272
Template:VICcity 0 0
Template:VICcity 83 95
Template:VICcity 76 72
Template:VICcity^ 97 93
Template:VICcity 94 101
Template:VICcity^ 86 110
Template:VICcity 0 7
Template:VICcity^ 113 132
Template:VICcity 19 28
Template:VICcity^ 569 583
Template:VICcity 164 249

Template:Column

Population
Locality 2016 2021
Template:VICcity 16 19
Template:VICcity^ 51 65
Template:VICcity 14 20
Template:VICcity 121 127
Template:VICcity 19 15
Template:VICcity 130 146
Template:VICcity 198 204
Template:VICcity 11 15
Template:VICcity 67 62
Template:VICcity 18 25
Template:VICcity^ 1,954 2,456
Template:VICcity^ 23 26
Template:VICcity 37 47
Template:VICcity 38 55
Template:VICcity 63 67
Template:VICcity 38 40
Template:VICcity 148 124
Template:VICcity 121 107
Template:VICcity 37 49

Template:Columns-end ^ - Territory divided with another LGA

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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Template:Towns in Colac Otway Shire Template:Local Government Areas of Victoria Template:Authority control

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