Shire of Baw Baw

The Shire of Baw Baw is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is about 100 km east of Melbourne in the West Gippsland region. It has an area of 4,031 square kilometres, and in 2011 had a population of 42,985.

Baw Baw was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the former Buln Buln and Narracan shires, the Rural City of Warragul (previously the Shire of Warragul), and some parts of the Shire of Upper Yarra. It was named for Mount Baw Baw in the shire's northeast, its highest peak and the site of a small ski resort.

The more densely populated southern half of the Shire consists of low rolling hills given over primarily to dairy farming and other agriculture. The northern half lies in the Great Dividing Range and its foothills, where forestry remains an important industry. Tourism is also important in the region, aided by its proximity to and easy access from Melbourne. The shire is noted for its rural scenery and natural beauty, as well as gourmet foods and wines. The historic gold-mining town of Walhalla is located in the northeast of the shire. The major electricity-producing region of the Latrobe Valley lies immediately to the shire's east.

Many of the Shire's larger towns are located along the Princes Highway and main Gippsland Railway line, which cross the southern part of the shire. From west to east these include: Longwarry, Drouin, Warragul (the largest town and administrative centre), Darnum, Yarragon, and Trafalgar. North of Warragul are Fumina South, Neerim South and Noojee (from which runs the main road to Mount Baw Baw), while south of Trafalgar in the Strzelecki Ranges lies the town of Thorpdale. The towns of Rawson, Erica and Parkers Corner are located near Walhalla amongst the foothills of Mount Baw Baw. The continuing inclusion of these small centres in Baw Baw Shire is locally contentious due to the isolation from the administrative capital of Warragul. Being geographically and socially connected to the major Latrobe Valley towns of Moe, Morwell and Traralgon, there are strong local feelings that their needs would be better met by a minor boundary adjustment that would place the northern towns into the City of Latrobe. Poor financial management has allegedly dogged the performance of the local council to carry out its obligations to the area. However, the periurban issues facing Baw Baw in its western boundary with outer Melbourne certainly restrains its resources for minor areas such as the Walhalla area. Focusing on the populated sections of the Shire disenfranchises residents in the outer areas which are still heavily promoted as tourist destinations but not destinations for resources required for maintenance.