Golden Plains Shire was established in 1994 and is the fourth most populous local government area in the Grampians Region, with a population of 15,360 (ABS 2001 Census).

There are 57 small townships and rural communities across the Shire, which covers over 2,705 square kilometers. The largest population centres are Bannockburn, Ross Creek, Haddon and Linton (1000 -2000 people) followed by Smythesdale, Scarsdale and Teesdale (500 -1000 people) and other smaller localities.

The Shire is predominantly rural and is experiencing widespread population growth. The growth was 8.9% between 1996 and 2001, the 5th highest in regional Victoria. 

From ABS census data (2001) 14,278 persons were counted in the Golden Plains Shire on August 7th 2001. Of these, 51.0% were males and 49.0% were females. 24.58% were aged 0-14 years, 11.8% aged 15-24 years, 45.3% aged 25-54 years, and 18.32% aged over 55 years. In relation to family characteristics, there were 4,034 families counted in the Shire of Golden Plains, 53.5% were couple families with children, 36.3% were couple families withour children, 9.2% were one parent families and 1.0% were other families. Of the occupied private dwellings, 80.5% were family households, 14.5% were lone person households and 1.3% were group households. 6,761 people in the Shire of Golden Plains were in the labour force. Of these 57.5% were employed full time, 30.6% were employed part time, 3.2% were employed but did not state the hours worked and 8.7% were unemployed.

The highest rates of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) per 1000 population in 2001 for males in the Golden Plains Shire were for malignant cancers (31.3), cardiovascular diseases (27.1), mental disorders (18.2), ischaemic heart disease (15.9), and nurological and sense disorders (13.6). The highest DALY rates for females were for malignant cancers (26.8), cardiovascular diseases (23.3), mental disorders (19.5), neurological and sense disorders (16.8), and ischaemic heart disease. Measured by the Victorian Burden of Disease Estimates 2001.

The highest rates of the Years of Life Lost prematurely (YLL) per 1000 population in 2001 for males were for malignant cancers (24.7), cardiovascular disease (22.2), ischaemic heart disease (14.3), and lung cancer (5.5). The highest YLL rates for females were for malignant cancers (21.5), cardiovascular disease (22.2), ischaemic heart disease (9.6) and stroke (4.8). Measured by the Victorian Burden of Disease Estimates 2001.

Oral health, dental caries, hearing loss, asthma and diabetes mellitus comprise the highest prevalent rates of disease for residents in the Golden Plains Shire according to the Victorian Burden of Disease estimates 2001.

Golden Plains Shire Website