The Shire of Diamond Valley was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

about northeast of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, the state capital of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1964 until 1994.

History

The name relates to the lowlands to the west of Diamond Creek, a tributary of the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower st ...

, which flows through nearby

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...

. The Diamond Valley can be defined in geographical terms as the area bounded by the Plenty River, the Yarra, the Christmas Hills ridge to the east and the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...

to the north. Land in the area was first incorporated as part of the Heidelberg Road District on 12 October 1860, which became a shire on 27 March 1864, and was proclaimed as the City of Heidelberg on 11 April 1934. Accessed at

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in th ...

, La Trobe Reading Room. On 30 September 1964, the North Ward of the City of Heidelberg was severed, and incorporated as the Shire of Diamond Valley. In 1863, the Diamond Reef was discovered by Thomas Wright Soady on Dr John Blakemore Phipps property, which stretched from Reynold's Road to the Diamond Creek. On 15 December 1994, the Shire of Diamond Valley was abolished; areas south of the

Metropolitan Ring Road The M80 Ring Road (also known simply as the Ring Road or by the names of its constituent parts; the Western Ring Road and the Metropolitan Ring Road) is a partially complete urban freeway ring road around Melbourne, Australia. This article wi ...

and the Greensborough Highway merged with the City of Heidelberg, into the newly created

City of Banyule The City of Banyule is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It was created under the Local Government Act 1989 and established in 1994 as an amalgamation of former councils. It has an area of ...

, while areas north were merged with parts of the

City of Whittlesea The City of Whittlesea is a local government area located in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covers an area of , and in June 2023, it had an estimated population of 245,029 and is one ...

and the

Shire of Eltham The Shire of Eltham was a Local government in Australia, local government area about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1856 until 1994. Histo ...

, into the newly created

Shire of Nillumbik The Shire of Nillumbik ( ) is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It contains outer northern suburbs of Melbourne and rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 432 square kilometres and at th2021 census the Shire had ...

. A small area in the shire's southwest, north of

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

and including the Gresswell Forest Nature Reserve, was transferred to the

City of Darebin The City of Darebin () is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and in June 2018 Darebin had a population of 161,609. Municipal offices are located at 350 High Street, Preston. ...

. Council met at the Diamond Valley Civic Centre, in Civic Circuit, Greensborough. The facility is still used by Nillumbik Shire Council.

Wards

The Shire of Diamond Valley was divided into four ridings, each of which elected three councillors: * South West Riding * South East Riding * Centre Riding * North Riding

Suburbs

* Briar Hill (shared with the Shire of Eltham) * Bundoora (shared with the Cities of Preston and Whittlesea) *

Diamond Creek Diamond Creek is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Nillumbik local government area. Diamond Creek recorded a population of 12,503 at the 20 ...

* Eltham North * Greensborough* * Hurstbridge (shared with the City of Whittlesea and Shire of Eltham) *

Macleod MacLeod, McLeod and Macleod ( ) are surnames in the English language. The names are anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic ', meaning "son of Leòd", derived from the Old Norse ''Liótr'' ("ugly"). One of the earliest occurrences of the surnam ...

(shared with the City of Heidelberg) * Plenty *

St Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

* Watsonia * Watsonia North * Wattle Glen (shared with the Shire of Eltham) *

Yarrambat Yarrambat is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east of Melbourne, Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the Shire of Nillumbik Local government areas of Victoria, local g ...

* Council seat.

Population

* Estimate in the 1958 Victorian Year Book.
# The Shire of Diamond Valley was created in 1964. Source of population: 1968 Victorian Year Book.

References

External links

*
Victorian Places - Diamond Valley Shire
{{Coord, 37, 41, S, 145, 07, E, type:adm2nd_region:AU-VIC, display=title Diamond Valley City of Banyule 1964 establishments in Australia 1994 disestablishments in Australia Shire of Nillumbik