Overview
The Wimmera Southern Mallee is home to 54,528 people across 33,900 sq km3, 22 towns and two major centres, Horsham and Stawell. Our natural landscape is uniquely Australian characterised by the black soil plains, the Grampians (Gariwerd) Mountain range, Mt Arapiles (Dyurrite) , the Big and Little Deserts, iconic natural lake systems and the Wimmera River. A thriving economic region delivering $7,126 billion4 in economic output with Agriculture the lifeblood of the region. Critical Mineral sands and renewable energy industries are expanding the region’s industry base, and services are emerging to support these growing industries. Our communities are the social fabric of the region and we’re focused on harnessing the region’s full potential into the future.
Diverse & Sustainable Farming Systems
Over 77% of the region’s land is used for medium-low rainfall primary production5. Our extremely fertile soils support rotationally diverse farming systems with pulses an integral component. The region is well-known as Australia’s largest red lentil producer and agriculture is the WSM’s largest employer providing 5,047 jobs. Digital agriculture and use of real-time data offers agriculture within the WSM significant future efficiency opportunities. Additionally, the delivery of the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline is one of Australia’s largest water infrastructure projects. It provides 7,000 rural customers with reliable stock, business, and household water access, a significant advantage for our region’s farmers and communities in buffering water availability challenges during periods of drought.
A Lower Emissions Future
Supporting our highly efficient agricultural industry to meet legislated emissions targets provides opportunities in alignment with farm productivity increases. Farmers and the agriculture industry have a very important role to play in reducing emissions, but they need support, data-based evidence, and practical expertise to assist the transition journey.
Iconic Landscapes & Landmarks
Our region features some of Victoria’s most recognised natural landscapes. Gariwerd (Grampians National Park) is well-known for its world-famous hiking trails and its heritage listed Aboriginal heritage. While Dyurrite (Mt Arapiles –Tooan State Park), rising stunningly from the Wimmera plains. Our spectacular Little and Big Deserts provide striking contrast to our iconic lakes, including Dimboola’s Pink Lake, and our epic silo art trail, spanning across 200km, providing an opportunity to explore a region that changes its colours from season to season, from sunrise to sunset. A region that offers adventure in a different light.
Emerging Resource Industries
The Wimmera Southern Mallee is part of the Murray Basin mineral sands deposits, one of the world’s largest critical mineral deposits. It is estimated that the region could service over 15% of the world’s demand for some of the priority critical minerals for the next 40 years. The Wimmera Regional mining projects have the capacity to broaden the region’s industry base and provide significant, whilst skill diverse employment opportunities. Gold Mining is also a staple of the region with the Stawell Mine producing approximately 10% of Victoria’s gold production.
Sustainability Powering Our Future
The Western Victoria Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), located within the WSM is well geographically and topographically positioned to support Australia’s renewable energy revolution. The WSM has some of the best and most abundant solar and wind energy resources in the country. The 99 turbine Murra Warra Wind Farm is the region’s first renewable energy project, chosen for its good wind resource, proximity to transport links and on-site connection to the grid network. The Western Victoria REZ has more than 700 MW of solar generation projects and 2.3 GW of wind generation projects in the pipeline alone. These represent over $6.16 billion in potential direct capital investment, 1,737 direct construction jobs and 237 ongoing roles. Electricity from these projects could supply more than 1.5 million homes across Victoria. Substantial future opportunities exist for locally generated renewable energy which will support and provide a competitive advantage for new industries, particularly local and agricultural product manufacturing.
Communities Like No Other & Affordable Living
Our WSM communities are like no other! Supporting our valued community members and volunteer bases is integral to the social fabric of our region. Affordable large quarteracre locks and traditional three-to-four-bedroom family homes form the basis of our Wimmera Southern Mallee (WSM) housing, with expanding villa and townhouse home options within towns. Diversification of our housing stock is a priority ensuring community members have sufficient access to a range of housing types and styles. Our region has abundant sporting facilities, offers education, retail and healthcare access with growing arts and cultural precincts supporting regional liveability. We are passionate about equitable access to health and education services and have a network of skilled professionals that specialise in the art of being adaptable to meet the health and wellbeing needs of our rural communities. A priority is to improve our regions poor health and wellbeing outcomes, particularly related to early years, where up to one in three children are presenting at school developmentally vulnerable.
