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Mount Alexander Shire Council Local Community Planning Project

Community Profile

Taradale 3447

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INTRODUCTION

Mount Alexander Shire Council has been funded over three years until May 2014, through

the State Government’s Department of Planning and Community Development, to

undertake the Mount Alexander Shire Local Community Planning Project (LCPP).

The project aims to support local community engagement across the Shire to enable

communities to articulate their needs and aspirations through the development of local

community-based Action Plans.

In September 2011, Council announced that Taradale would be one of three townships to

participate in the first round of planning. This document has been formulated to provide

some background information about Taradale and a starting point for discussion.

ABOUT MOUNT ALEXANDER SHIRE

The original inhabitants of the Mount Alexander area were the Jaara Jaara Aboriginal

people. European settlement dates from the late 1830s, with land used mainly for pastoral

purposes, particularly sheep grazing. Population was minimal until the 1850s, spurred by

gold mining from 1851, the construction of the railway line, and the establishment of

several townships. Rapid growth took place into the late 1800s before declining as gold

supplies waned and mines were closed. Relatively stable between the 1950’s and the

1980’s, the population increased from about 12,700 in 1981 to 16,600 in 2006. The

preliminary Estimated Resident Population for 2010 is 18,4211.

Mount Alexander Shire (MAS, the Shire) forms part of the Loddon Mallee Region (the

Region), which encompasses ten municipalities and covers nearly 59,000km2 in size, or

approximately 26 percent of the land area of the State of Victoria.

The Shire is approximately 1,530km2 in size and comprises several small towns and

communities of national historic and environmental significance. The population of the

Shire is quite centralised, with approximately two thirds of the population living in the

greater Castlemaine area, including the townships of Chewton, Campbells Creek and Barkers

Creek. Other primary townships include Newstead, Maldon, Taradale and Harcourt.

Formed in 1995 from the merger of the City of Castlemaine, Shire of Newstead, most of the

Shire of Maldon and Shire of Metcalfe, Mount Alexander is divided into five wards: Calder

Ward, Castlemaine Ward, Coliban Ward, Loddon Ward and Tarrengower Ward. Castlemaine

Ward has three councillors while the other wards are represented by one councillor each.

1 Estimated Resident Population – Mount Alexander Shire, Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2011

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Figure One: Map of Mount Alexander Shire

Figure Two: Map of Taradale

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ABOUT TARADALE

HISTORY

Taradale is a small town in rural Victoria situated on the south eastern border of Mount

Alexander Shire. It is located on the Calder Highway 103 kilometres north west of

Melbourne and 47 kilometres south east of Bendigo. At the 2006 census, Taradale had a

population of 200.

The town is located on the Melbourne to Bendigo Railway Line, although the station was

closed in 1976. The iconic Taradale Viaduct, which carries the railway 36 metres above Back

Creek, was built between 1858 and 1862 and is still much admired today.

Establishment of Taradale began with the discovery of gold in Central Victoria around 1851.

Because the town lies on the route between Melbourne and Castlemaine, it was used as a

stopover for the famous Cobb and Co. coach line which began in 1854 between Melbourne

and Bendigo.

A number of gold mining activities were carried out in and around the township itself

including washing for alluvial gold in Back Creek and the sinking of shafts.

A petition was made to the Governor of Victoria to proclaim the Municipality of Taradale in

1861. Named after Taradale House in Scotland, the birthplace of Sir Roderick Murchison,

many of Taradale’s streets are also named after famous figures of the day including Charles

Lyell, Michael Faraday and Humphrey Davy.

In April 2008 the township was bypassed by the upgraded Calder Freeway with the opening

of the Malmsbury-Taradale section. As a result, a number of social and demographic

changes have occurred over and above those typical of other rural Victorian communities.

Family outside their house, Taradale district, 1894

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DEMOGRAPHICS

Taradale’s 200 residents live in 81 local households, with unoccupied dwellings at 27% (30

dwellings), an indication that there are a significant number of houses used as holiday

accommodation. Taradale’s age profile is roughly aligned to the regional Victorian average,

with significantly more adults in the 18 to 64 age group (69% for Taradale compared to 58%

for regional Victoria) and somewhat less who are aged 65 to 84 years (9.5% in Taradale

compared to 16% for regional Victoria). The female to male ratio is relatively even at 105 to

94 (53% female, 47% male).

Current migration trends indicate an annual population increase of 1.7% in the Greater

Loddon Mallee region, almost 50% greater than the average for regional Victoria overall.

Most of the projected growth is expected to be concentrated in Greater Bendigo, Macedon

Ranges and Mount Alexander. For the currently unsewered towns of Elphinstone, Taradale

and Guildford an innovative wastewater management system will be necessary to

accommodate this projected growth, as the cost to connect the towns to sewer is likely to

be very high.2

In 2006 there were 28 children aged between five and 17 living in Taradale which

represented 17.6% of the population. Despite this and the projected population growth, in

March 2012 Taradale Primary School has just two enrolled students (down from 40 in 2005),

a figure the Department of Education has recently advised is not sustainable. In a bid to

boost enrolments, current principal Chris Burgess has instigated a series of community

meetings and introduced a number of new initiatives such as after-school care and local

school cluster groups. The Taradale Playgroup also holds its weekly meetings at the primary

school.

ECONOMICS

Aside from the primary school, services in Taradale include a post office/service station, a

general store/cafe, a combined cafe, gallery and art store, a Country Fire Authority Station

and local wineries.

Taradale (rural east) scores 1011.5 on the SEIFA index of disadvantage*** (the benchmark

score being 1000) – meaning that the area is less disadvantaged than average. By

comparison, Mount Alexander Shire scores 981 on the index and Bendigo 984. 46.8% of

Taradale’s population own their homes outright (compared to a regional Victorian average

of 38.3%), whilst 38% are paying off a mortgage and 12.3% rent their home, (significantly

lower than the regional Victorian average of 22.4%). 36.6% of households earn over $1,000

per week and 26.8% earn less than $350 per week.

2 Loddon Mallee Regional Strategic Plan, Southern Region, p13

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Unemployment in Taradale is on a par with the state-wide average sitting at approximately

5.8%. In Taradale 52.3% of people in the labour market are employed full time and 37.2%

are employed on a part-time basis.

COMMUNITY LIFE AND LEISURE

Recreational facilities include the newly refurbished Mechanic’s Institute, the Taradale Hall,

the recreation reserve, the Mineral Springs Reserve and an established network of walking

and riding tracks through the surrounding forest.

Each year in March, the Taradale Mineral Springs Festival is held over Labour Day long

weekend. Showcasing local talent, wine, produce and crafts, the family-friendly festival

attracts around 60 stall holders and thousands of visitors from around the area. A

community art show is held in conjunction with the festival. In 2011 it received the Mount

Alexander Shire’s ‘Best Community Event’ award.

Playground at the Taradale Mineral Springs Reserve

Crowd enjoying the entertainment at the Taradale Mineral Springs Festival

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o Community Groups

Taradale is home to many active community groups and has a strong history of

volunteerism. The following is a list of community/leisure groups in the Taradale area –

• Taradale Arts Group • Bring Back the Trains Project

• Taradale Cemetery Trust • CFA Taradale Brigade

• Taradale Community Forum • Taradale Cricket Club

• Taradale Hall Committee • Taradale Historical Group Inc

• Taradale Landcare • Taradale Mineral Springs

Festival Committee

• Taradale Mineral Springs

Festival Entertainment

Committee

• Taradale Mineral Springs

Reserve Committee

• Taradale Playgroup • Taradale Progress Association

• Taradale Recreation Reserve • Taradale Walking Group

• Taradale Anglican Church • Taste of Gold Initiative

• Yoga Group

o Community Grants

The following Taradale based organisations have received funding under Mount Alexander

Shire’s Strengthening Our Community Grants Scheme during the past two years –

2011/12

• Taradale Historical Group for the 150th Anniversary celebrations of the Melbourne to

Bendigo Railway line

2010/11

• Taradale Fire Brigade for equipping the new meeting room

• Taradale Mineral Springs Committee for restoration of the back creek in the Mineral

Springs Reserve

• Taradale Mineral Springs Festival for the purchase of a quality public address system

for community use

o Community Newspaper

Produced by volunteers, Taradale Talk is the local community newspaper. Published

quarterly, it has a print circulation of 250 as well as being available online.

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o Transport

The Mt Alexander Transit Bus runs a return service to Castlemaine with departures at

10.20am, 1.30pm and 6.15pm daily excluding weekends. It is also possible to ride the

school bus with special permission.

HOT ISSUES

Community consultation has so far revealed the following hot topics and issues of concern

amongst the Taradale community –

Issue

Actions & Possibilities Priority Responsibility Status

Impacts of climate change Explore sustainability issues within the Community Plan

4 Ind/Business/Council/State & Fed Govt.

The uncertain future of Taradale Primary School

1 Community

Changing economic and demographic profiles

Establish new opportunities for community and connection and address in the CP

3 Community

Lack of clear signage and maps around walking & cycling tracks

2 Council

Establishment of an outlet to sell local craft & produce on a regular basis

3 Community

Ongoing road maintenance

2 State & Fed Govt/Council

Lack of a community hub

2 Community

The establishment of a cycle path between Taradale and Elphinstone.

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** As most frequently raised by people being canvassed through current consultations

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NOTES

About the SEIFA Index

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage can broadly be defined in terms of

people’s access to material and social resources, and their ability to participate in society.

Since 1971, The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has produced four different Socio-

Economic Indexes for Area (SEIFA) which enable analysis of different aspects of relative area

disadvantage.

SEIFA indexes are assigned to areas, not to individuals. They indicate the collective socio-

economic status of the people living in an area. A relatively disadvantaged area is likely to

have a high proportion of relatively disadvantaged people. However, such an area is also

likely to contain people who are not disadvantaged, as well as people who are relatively

advantaged.

Another aspect of disadvantage as measured in SEIFA is that it is multidimensional. For

example, consider a community with a relatively high level of financial wellbeing. On this

basis we may conclude that this area is relatively advantaged. However, if this community

also has very high crime rates, or poor levels of general health, these factors may cause us

to view the area as relatively disadvantaged.

(Source Australian Bureau of Statistics, ©2008)

This environment scan has been developed using the following resources:

� Australian Bureau of Statistics National Regional Profile: Mount Alexander

� Community Indicators Victoria Mount Alexander Wellbeing Report

� Profile ID Mount Alexander Shire Community Profile

� Mount Alexander Shire Map 2020 Community Plan

� Loddon Mallee Regional Strategic Plan – Southern Region

� Taradale Talk – Autumn 2012 Edition

� Mount Alexander Shire Council Taradale Community Opportunities Plan May 2009