The Shire of Ripon was a Local Government Area located about 160 kilometres (99 mi) west-northwest 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 1533 square kilometres (591.9 sq mi), and existed from 1861 until 1994.

History

Ripon was first incorporated as a district on 12 April 1861, and became a shire on 18 December 1863.

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

Shire of Lexton

The Shire of Lexton was a Local Government Area located about northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1860 until 1994.-History:...

 and most of Shire of Avoca

Shire of Avoca

The Shire of Avoca was a Local Government Area located about northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1861 until 1994.-History:...

 into the Shire of Pyrenees.

Wards

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

• Northwest Riding
• East Riding
• Central Riding

Towns and localities

• Beaufort
  Beaufort, Victoria
  Beaufort is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Western Highway midway between Ararat and Ballarat, in the Pyrenees Shire local government area. It is 387 metres above sea level. At the 2001 census, Beaufort had a population of 987...
  
  
• Raglan
  Raglan, Victoria
  Raglan is a town in western Victoria, Australia. It is located north west of the state capital, Melbourne in the Shire of Pyrenees local government area...
  
  
• Trawalla
  Trawalla, Victoria
  Trawalla is a town in central Western Victoria, Australia, located on the Western Highway, 41 km west of Ballarat and 154 km west of Melbourne, in the Shire of Pyrenees. At the 2006 census, Trawalla and the surrounding agricultural area had a population of 224.Trawalla sits at the...
  
  
• Snake Valley
  Snake Valley, Victoria
  Snake Valley is a town in central Western Victoria, Australia, on Carngham-Linton Road, west of Ballarat and west of Melbourne, in the Shire of Pyrenees. At the 2006 census, Snake Valley had a population of 329. A post office was opened on 1 March 1859....
  
  
• Brewster
• Stockyard Hill
• Waterloo
  Waterloo, Victoria
  Waterloo is a locality consisting of a collection of farms and houses approximately north of the town of Beaufort, Victoria and west north west of the state capital of Melbourne....
  
  
• Chute
• Middle Creek
• Camp Hill
• Mount Emu

Population

Year	Population
1954	3,365
1958	3,700*
1961	3,581
1966	3,512
1971	3,212
1976	3,204
1981	3,088
1986	3,317
1991	3,464

* Estimate in the 1958 Victorian Year Book.