Rodney
The Rodney Electorate covers an area of 7,808 square kilometres, has a population of around 49,000, and includes the major centres of Echuca, Kyabram, Cohuna, Rochester, Heathcote, Rushworth, Nathalia and Barmah.
The electorate’s prosperity is based primarily on agriculture, with the industry accounting for 25% of all jobs in the district. The main industry is dairying, followed by beef, cattle, sheep, cropping, viticulture and horticulture.
The main employers associated with the agricultural industries are processing plants including Bonlac, Nestle, Simplot, Cedenco and Murray Goulburn – the biggest user of the port of Melbourne.
The tourism industry is also of vital importance to the Rodney electorate, particularly in Echuca with the historic wharf area, in Rushworth, which was an important gold mining area, and in Kyabram with the Kyabram Fauna Park. In Echuca alone, the tourism sector employs 1500 people and contributes about $220 million per annum to the economy. The historic Port of Echuca receives more than 75,000 visitors per year.
Rodney Map
Echuca
Echuca is the electorate’s largest and most diverse centre which serves local, regional and tourist purposes. Its catchment area is estimated to include 50,000 people within a 70 kilometre radius.
Overall, the city is an important industrial, community, health, recreational and transportation hub for northern Victoria and southern New South Wales. Echuca's industry structure is dominated by retail and wholesale trade.
Other notable business sectors include property and business services, construction, accommodation, personal services and manufacturing. Echuca is the base for the electorate’s growth industries, particularly tourism.
Echuca, an aboriginal name meaning "Meeting of the Waters" is indicative of the role rivers have played in the town's existence. Echuca is situated close to the junction of the Goulburn, Campaspe and Murray Rivers.
Kyabram
Kyabram is the electorate’s second largest town and boasts an excellent range of retail, commercial, industrial and community services. Above all, Kyabram is an important service centre for a wide rural hinterland, particularly health services through the hospital and hostel.
The town's retail centre plays a community role and is geared to service a wide catchment of people through shopping, eateries and a range of services. Kyabram also has excellent community, civic, recreation and sporting facilities.
Kyabram’s star attraction is the internationally-acclaimed Kyabram Fauna Park. Set on 55 hectares of wetlands and plains, the park is home to over 500 varieties of birds and animals, and is recognised for its breeding of endangered Australian species program.
Dairying and fruit orchards are Kyabram’s primary industries with secondary industries being;- Henry Jones Foods, manufacturers of IXL jams, engineering, financial advisors, solicitors and accounting services with close proximity to Nestle, Heinz and Bonlac food processing plants.
Cohuna
Cohuna is situated on the Murray Valley Highway, between Echuca and Kerang, and is a bustling township with a strong commercial centre.
The picturesque main street is situated opposite the Gunbower Creek, which forms Gunbower Island – a large and forested island supporting a diverse system of native animals and birds.
Cohuna lies in the heart of fully irrigated dairy country generated with the assistance of the Torrumbarry Irrigation System. Pigs, cattle, wool and timber and timber also contribute to the local economy.
Heathcote
In the centre of Central Victoria, nestled beneath the McHarg and the McIvor Ranges lies the postcard region of Heathcote. This small rural township offers spectacular landscapes, mining relics, heritage architecture, abundant wildlife, unique flora, local art and craft outlets, premier Australian wines, regional food, a National Park, several state forests and nature reserves, comfortable accommodation in tranquil settings, along with great sunrises, sunsets and night skies.
Heathcote is located at the junction of three major highways, at a convenient distance from Melbourne, Bendigo and a number of large towns. For a town of its size it is well resourced, with a hospital providing a range of integrated services, its own Council service centre, and a broad range of sporting and recreational assets.
Nathalia
Nathalia is the gateway to the world’s largest red gum forest – the Barmah State Forest.
It is a pretty town with a population of about 1500 and its main natural attraction is the permanent waters of the Broken Creek that meanders through the town. Nathalia lies in a flat agricultural and dairying landscape just two and a half hours north of Melbourne and 20 minutes from the Murray River.
The town provides all essential services for modern living in peaceful surroundings and is becoming a popular haven for tourists seeking that “getaway from it all” location. Nathalia has a good shopping centre and excellent sporting, education and medical facilities.
Rochester
Located on the banks of the Campaspe River, Rochester is the principal service centre for a diverse agricultural region in the central part of the electorate.
The town supplies surrounding farming communities with a well-developed retail sector and a range of community and business services. The economic base of the area is primarily agriculture with dairy farming, sheep, cattle, grain and vegetables. Manufacturing has become a major industry and employer, with one of the largest Murray Goulburn Co-operative dairy processing plants located in the centre of town. Other significant local businesses are involved in concrete production, agricultural machinery and a wide range of manufacturing including silos.
Rochester is a popular stop en-route to Echuca and destinations further north, with country style pubs, cafes, and parks. Take a walk through history on one of the many walking tracks Rochester has to offer, including the Historical Plaque Trail and Cemetery Walk, or pack a picnic and enjoy the Campaspe River.
Rushworth
The well preserved "Gold & Ironbark" town of Rushworth is nestled amid the world's largest Box Ironbark forest, and boasts an authentic National Trust classified heritage streetscape, one of only two such classifications in Victoria.
This unique district is a showcase of Victoria's early goldrush and timber industry. Today, Rushworth is a popular historic township which services its residents and surrounding farming communities with a variety of shopping, sporting and civic services.
The nearby historic Whroo Township, now deserted, was once a thriving village that developed around the base of Victoria's largest open-cut gold mine at Balaclava Hill. Today it is a popular tourist stop, with visitor information provided at the centre of the former township.
