| United Shire of Beechworth Victoria |
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Location in Victoria |
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| Population: | 5210 (1992)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 1856 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 771.57 km² (297.9 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Council Seat: | Beechworth | ||||||||||||
| County: | Bogong | ||||||||||||
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The United Shire of Beechworth was a Local Government Area located about 270 kilometres (168 mi) northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of 771.57 square kilometres (297.9 sq mi), and existed from 1856 until 1994.
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Beechworth originated as two separate entities—the Borough of Beechworth, first created as a municipal district on 23 August 1856, becoming a borough on 11 September 1863; and the Shire of Beechworth, created on 27 December 1865 as a union of the Stanley (10 December 1862) and Wooragee (30 March 1863) districts. The two entities merged on 29 December 1871 to form the United Shire of Beechworth. At dissolution, it was the only United Shire of its kind remaining in Victoria.[2]
On 18 November 1994, the Shire was abolished, and merged with most of the Shires of Chiltern, Yackandandah and Rutherglen into the Shire of Indigo. The area around Mudgegonga in the southeast went to the Alpine Shire, whilst the Murmungee [3]
Beechworth was divided into four ridings, each of which elected three councillors:
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 4,417 |
| 1958 | 4,580* |
| 1961 | 4,845 |
| 1966 | 4,804 |
| 1971 | 4,506 |
| 1976 | 4,618 |
| 1981 | 4,673 |
| 1986 | 4,883 |
| 1991 | 4,966 |
* Estimate in the 1958 Victorian Year Book.