Economy
Loddon Shire is situated 200km north of Melbourne, close to the major town centres of Bendigo, Kerang and Echuca. Home to almost 7,800 residents, the Shire spans 6,700 km2, featuring rolling hills, forests, granite outcrops, premium agricultural land, and the Loddon River, which services industry, people, tourism, and lifestyle.
The Shire is a 'community of communities’, comprising many small towns including Bridgewater, Inglewood, Wedderburn, Korong Vale, Dingee, Mitiamo, Serpentine, Newbridge, Tarnagulla, Laanecoorie, Eddington, Boort, Pyramid Hill and other surrounding towns and communities.
Key infrastructure includes the Calder Highway and South West Loddon Pipeline, which provides a reliable water supply for agricultural activities and potential future business ventures.
Major employers in Loddon Shire include Laucke Flour Mills, Hazeldene’s Chicken Farms, Boundary Bend Olives, Water Wheel Vineyards, Southern Riverlands Poultry, Southern Stockfeeds, ASQ Allstone Quarries, Cobram Estate Olives, George Weston Foods, Corian Park Earth Moving and Kia-Ora Piggery.
Agriculture is the Shire's primary industry, accounting for half of all employment and economic output and almost three-quarters of all regional exports. Activities include dairy, horticulture, viticulture, cropping, lamb and intensive poultry and pig farming. An increasing number of agriculture producers are investing in intensive production facilities for pigs and chickens.
Loddon Shire’s economy and workforce benefit from neighbouring municipalities like Gannawarra, Campaspe, Buloke, and Northern Grampians. Greater Bendigo, the major regional centre, provides employment for one in five Loddon Shire residents.
As surrounding economies diversify, so too does demand for goods and services, providing various opportunities for Loddon industries, provided there is an adequate workforce and housing. Increased investment in neighbouring regions, such as the establishment of the Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct (BREP), Marong, presents significant value-add opportunities for Loddon’s primary production and agriculture.
For details on the Economic Context and Opportunities of Investing in Loddon click here.
The Loddon Shire Economic Development Strategy 2025-2029 outlines a comprehensive plan to foster economic growth and resilience in the region, to obtain a copy of the Strategy, click here(PDF, 5MB) .
Economic profile
The Loddon Shire’s REMPLAN Economy Dashboard automatically collects and collates the latest and historical data from various REMPLAN resources and delivers the following: ·
- Infographic: including a summary of key economic indicators
- Trends: including time series trends in nominal (base prices) and real (adjusted for inflation) terms
- Reporting: downloadable PDF reports that captures data included in the dashboard
At the press of a button, receive the latest key economic data and insights for the Loddon Shire.
Please click here for full functionality, or see the infographic below and downloadable PDF Economic Insights Report.
DATA SOURCES
- ABS 2022 Estimated Resident Population, used in Population
- ABS 2021-22 Building Approvals, used in Building Approvals
- REMPLAN SALF March 2023 Report, used in Labour Force:
- Jobs and Skills Australia Small Area Labour Markets (SALM)
- ABS Quarterly Detailed Labour Force Survey
- REMPLAN Economy, used in GRP, Output, Wages and Salaries, Business Counts and Regional Exports:
- ABS 2021 Census Place of Work Employment (Scaled) ABS 2020-21
- ABS National Input Output Tables
- ABS June 2022 ABS Gross State Product
- ABS 2021-22 Counts of Australian Businesses
- REMPLAN Property, used in House Prices: