Shire of Southern Grampians: History
The traditional owners of this shire are the Gunditjmara, Tjap Wurrung and Bunganditj people.
The Shire of Southern Grampians was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the City of Hamilton, Shire of Wannon, the vast bulk of the Shire of Mount Rouse and Shire of Dundas, and small parts of the Shire of Kowree and Shire of Heywood.
The creation of the Shire was strongly supported by the councils of the City of Hamilton and the Shires of Wannon, Dundas and Mount Rouse. The four municipalities were eager to amalgamate, as they were already collaborating in a range of areas including library services, health, water, waste disposal and weights and measures. At public meetings held in the respective towns, Branxholme residents voted to join Southern Grampians, while Caramut and Macarthur residents chose to join the Shire of Moyne.
The Shire of Wannon suggested the name "Southern Grampians Council" for the combined entity. The Local Government Board initially planned to call the amalgamated municipality the "Shire of Napier" (after Mount Napier), but the four councils expressed their preference for "Southern Grampians", a suggestion the Board ultimately adopted.
In January 1996, about 180 km2 of farmland west and south-west of Wickliffe was transferred from Southern Grampians to the Rural City of Ararat and the Shire of Moyne after a further Local Government Board review.