From the Regional Development Victoria website:

Hume is one of the fastest growing regions in Victoria with a social and cultural fabric and heritage to match its natural beauty. This region is renowned for world-class wines, gourmet food, and is part of the ‘food bowl of Australia’. The Goulburn River is important to the region for environmental, lifestyle and business, and the Strathbogie Ranges are a gateway to the famous High Country.

The region’s diversity – and new opportunities in key industries – will ensure steady economic development and jobs growth which is reflected in Hume’s population growth which is projected to grow by over 23% by 2026. A large part of this population growth is projected to come from people moving from Melbourne in search of a change of lifestyle.

Town centres

Benalla, Beechworth, Bright, Corryong, Eildon, Euroa, Seymour, Shepparton, Mansfield, Wangaratta, Wodonga and Yarrawonga.

Opportunities

  • Projected decreases in run-off in the Goulburn and Broken Catchments are expected to affect water supply, irrigated agriculture and the survival of wetlands and aquatic ecosystems. Already high salinity levels in some areas may increase.
  • Hume includes two flagship areas identified in the Securing our Natural Future White Paper as requiring special management and protection: the Victorian Alps and the eastern end of the Mega Murray area (including sections of the Goulburn, Ovens, King and Kiewa Rivers).

Challenges

  • Hume has a particularly high exposure to the impacts of climate change, with around 20 per cent of income in the Goulburn region coming from sectors that are highly sensitive to these impacts.
  • Large parts of the region are highly vulnerable to increased fire risk (including national parks and forestry plantations).
  • Climate change may pose longer term threats to ski-field employment.

For detailed information about Loddon Mallee, please visit the Regional Development Victoria website.