MOORABOOL’S reputation as a major growth area has been confirmed, with the latest census data showing a 10per cent population increase in the past five years.
The 2011 census figures, released last week, show the population increased from 25,474 in 2006 to 28,124 last year.
Moorabool mayor Pat Griffin said growth was creating new pressures, making adequate infrastructure – like schools – imperative.
While there are 18 primary schools in Moorabool – with another planned for West Maddingley – Cr Griffin said a new secondary school would soon be needed in Bacchus Marsh.
Bacchus Marsh’s population increased from 15,973 to 18,068 in the past five years and a recent council study found it was the sixth-fastest-growing area in the state, with 14 new people moving to the area each week.
“We have a very under-resourced secondary college,” Cr Griffin said of Bacchus Marsh Secondary College.
“Students are being taught in old portable classrooms from the 1960s and ’70s. If the Bacchus Marsh population reaches 20,000 we’ll need another secondary school.”
Bacchus Marsh Secondary College school council president Mark Mayne said the school was in the early stages of planning a major overhaul, which would involve some buildings up to 60 years old.
“We’re lobbying the state government for funding for architectural drawings; the council is on the same page as us,” he said.
College principal Dionne Fenton said her enrolment was projected to grow by 3-5per cent a year.
“That’s 30 additional students each year on average,” she said.
Census data revealed that Moorabool had the highest divorce rate in the outer west (8per cent), the lowest median house price ($208,000) and the lowest median monthly mortgage ($1517).
Cr Griffin said he was unsure whether house prices were a primary attraction for new residents. “There are a whole number of reasons why people move here; pricing is just one attraction,” he said.
“I don’t think we’re any cheaper than other outlying areas around Melbourne.”
The census also revealed there are 74 more women than men in Moorabool(14,099 compared to 14,025) and a median age of 39, with the biggest percentage of residents (8per cent) aged 45-49.
Eighty-three per cent of residents were born in Australia. A quarter of people did not follow a religion and 31per cent were Catholic.
For the first time, Bacchus Marsh was counted as part of Melbourne, with The Age reporting that unlike the urban growth boundary, the new definition is based on where people work and socialise. The acting director of geography at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Marcus Blake, said the new boundary was not an indication of future urban expansion.
