The Shire of Buninyong was a Local Government Area located south and southeast of the regional city of Ballarat

Ballarat, Victoria

Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...

, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The shire covered an area of 785.1 square kilometres (303.1 sq mi), and existed from 1858 until 1994.

History

Buninyong was first incorporated as a district on 9 July 1858, and became a shire on 18 February 1864. On 1 October 1915, it absorbed the Borough of Buninyong, which had been created on 15 July 1859.

On 6 May 1994, the Shire was abolished, and split between the City of Ballarat

City of Ballarat

The City of Ballarat is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia around Ballarat. It is located in the western part of the state. It has an area of 740 square kilometres. In 2001 it had a population of 81,000...

 and the Shire of Moorabool

Shire of Moorabool

The Shire of Moorabool is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the southwestern part of the state. It has an area of 2,110 square kilometres. In 2006 it had a population of 25,474....

. A small section near Grenville was added to the Golden Plains Shire

Golden Plains Shire

Golden Plains Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the south-western part of the state. It includes the towns of Bannockburn, Gheringhap, Linton, Berringa and Meredith. It has an area of 2,721 square kilometres. In 2009 it had a population of 18,173...

.

Wards

Buninyong was divided into three ridings , each of which elected three councillors:

• Centre Riding
• West Riding
• Northeast Riding

Towns and localities

• Buninyong
  Buninyong, Victoria
  Buninyong is a place in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Midland Highway, south of Ballarat on the road to Geelong. It's known locally as the drug smuggling capital of the South West region. Local Dealers are said to import the majority of their cannabis supply from farmers in Durham Lead...
  
  
• Cambrian Hill
• Canadian
  Canadian, Victoria
  Canadian is a suburb east of the regional city of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia on the rural-urban fringe. At the 2006 census, Canadian had a population of 2,498....
  
  
• Clarendon
• Dunnstown
  Dunnstown, Victoria
  Dunnstown is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Shire of Moorabool, west of the state capital, Melbourne and close to the regional centre of Ballarat...
  
  
• Durham Lead
• Elaine
  Elaine, Victoria
  Elaine is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Midland Highway between Ballarat and Geelong. At the 2006 census, Elaine and the surrounding area had a population of 677....
  
  
• Grenville
• Lal Lal
• Magpie
• Millbrook
  Millbrook, Victoria
  Millbrook is a rural district in the state of Victoria, Australia, located north west of Melbourne. At the time of the 2006 census, Millbrook had a population of 550.The soil is volcanic and well-adapted to cereals, potatoes and grazing. The landscape is undulating and preserves remnants of the...
  
  
• Mount Clear
  Mount Clear, Victoria
  Mount Clear is a semi-rural suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia located south of the CBD is a suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia located south of the CBD in the Canadian Creek Valley. At the 2006 census, Mount Clear had a population of 2,346....
  
  
• Mount Helen
• Scotchman
• Warrenheip
  Warrenheip, Victoria
  Warrenheip is a small suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia located on the western rural-urban fringe. At the 2006 census, Warrenheip had a population of 435....
  
  
• Yendon

Population

Year	Population
1954	3,953
1958	4,190*
1961	4,313
1966	4,808
1971	5,124
1976	6,271
1981	8,096
1986	9,959
1991	12,140

* Estimate in 1958 Victorian Year Book.