Steady progress for Loddon Shire economy
Published on 01 September 2025
Steady as she goes might be the theme of Loddon Shire’s economic development, based on data from a new report.
Council’s latest Tourism and Economic Development Quarterly Activity Report shows positive signs in many key indicators.
Chief among them is the total economic output of Loddon Shire, which in 2024 was $1.256 billion, adjusted for inflation.
This was $69 million higher than the previous year and continues a trend of steady growth over the past four years.
The value of building approvals has also grown steadily in recent years. In 2024, $16.5 million of residential work was approved, this figure more than double that of 10 years previously.
While the graph for residential building approvals fluctuates, as can be expected in rural areas, the annual growth over the past 10 years averages out at 7.99 per cent a year.
Non-residential approvals, which can be affected in any given year by large one-off projects, totalled $21 million in 2024, down from $38 million the year before but also continuing a steady trend upwards since the lows of the mid-2010s.
Continuing the theme of steady growth, the data also shows the resident population of Loddon Shire in 2024 was 7,755, a handful more than the previous year and an increase of 242 on 10 years earlier.
Monthly total spending by consumers in the Shire also increased for each of April, May and June compared to the previous year.
Much of this was driven by visitors to the Shire, though resident spending online also increased substantially in each of the months.
New visitor measurement data from the Wedderburn Visitor Information Centre also provided some interesting insights.
It showed the majority of those visitors stayed for 2-4 nights, nature/outdoor recreation and gold prospecting were the main reasons for visiting and Greater Melbourne and Regional Victoria were the most popular places to visit Loddon Shire from.
Loddon Shire Mayor Dan Straub said the data showed the importance of Council investing in economic development and tourism.
“These link to key actions in our current Council Plan such as increasing the volume and value of our local economy, promoting unique tourism opportunities and maximising opportunities to grow our population,” Cr Straub said.
“This data indicates that our growth is sustainable in the long term and, while there is work to be done, we are heading in the right direction.”