The Shire of Mount Rouse was a Local Government Area located about 270 kilometres (168 mi) west of Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, the state capital of 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 1407 square kilometres (543.2 sq mi), and existed from 1860 until 1994.

History

Mount Rouse was first incorporated as a district on 2 October 1860, and became a shire on 26 January 1864.

On 23 September 1994, the Shire was abolished, and merged with City of Hamilton

City of Hamilton (Victoria)

The City of Hamilton was a Local Government Area located about west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1859 until 1994. Its area was surrounded by the Shire of Dundas.-History:...

, Shire of Wannon

Shire of Wannon

The Shire of Wannon was a Local Government Area located about west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1872 until 1994.-History:Wannon was first incorporated as a shire on 15 March 1872....

 and most of Dundas

Shire of Dundas (Victoria)

The Shire of Dundas was a Local Government Area located about west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1857 until 1994.-History:...

 into the Shire of Southern Grampians.

Wards

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

• Dunkeld Riding
• Glenthompson Riding
• Penshurst Riding

Towns and localities

• Chatsworth
• Dunkeld
  Dunkeld, Victoria
  Dunkeld is a town in Victoria, Australia at the southern end of the Grampians National Park, in the Shire of Southern Grampians. It is approx 283 km west of Melbourne on the Glenelg Highway. The town's population is holding steady but ageing...
  
  
• Glenthompson
  Glenthompson, Victoria
  Glenthompson is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It lies on the Glenelg Highway between Hamilton and Ballarat, close to the Grampian mountain range...
  
  
• Penshurst
  Penshurst, Victoria
  Penshurst is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Shire of Southern Grampians local government area and is located at the foot of Mount Rouse, an extinct volcano. At the 2006 census, Penshurst had a population of 461...
  
  
• Tabor
  Tabor, Victoria
  Tabor is a regional locality in Shire of Southern Grampians in the Western District of Victoria, Australia named after Tábor in Bohemia now part of the Czech Republic....
  
  

Population

Year	Population
1954	2,859
1958	3,010*
1961	3,056
1966	3,044
1971	2,693
1976	2,569
1981	2,474
1986	2,263
1991	2,250

* Estimate in the 1958 Victorian Year Book.