General information
The Gippsland region has approximately 255,720 residents. It covers the area from the Bunyip River in the west to the New South Wales border in the east and from Omeo in the north to Phillip Island in the south. It is geographically diverse including parts of Victoria's alpine areas, some relatively remote farming communities, coastal communities and the regional centres of Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Sale, Warragul, Wonthaggi, Leongatha and Bairnsdale.
Municipalities
Gippsland contains six municipalities:
Regional Ethnic Communities Councils/Migrant Resource Centres:
Diversity in the Region
The majority of Gippsland residents were born in Australia; only 5.6 per cent of the population were born in one of the main non-English speaking countries (NESCs) and 4.5 per cent again speak a Language other than English (LOTE) at home. For those people born outside the country, most were from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. Gippsland’s Italian population, which is less than 1 per cent, is the only LOTE spoken by more than 0.5 per cent of the population and accounts for 20 per cent of all LOTE speakers.
More recently a number of new communities have emerged including from the African continent. At present these communities are not highly identifiable through Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data however, feedback from Centrelink indicates that they are in contact with some 3,000 people who are more recently arrived to the region.
Language spoken at home, Gippsland
| Language spoken at home | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| English | 232,708 | 91% |
| LOTE | 11,432 | 4.5% |
| Not stated | 11,573 | 4.5% |
| Total | 255,719 | 100% |
ABS 2011 Census data.
Country of birth, Gippsland
| Country of birth | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 211,653 | 82.8% |
| Overseas* |
30,702 |
12% |
|
Main English speaking countries |
16,283 |
6.4% |
|
Main non-English speaking countries |
14,419 |
5.6% |
|
Not stated |
13,364 |
5.2% |
|
Total |
255,719 |
100% |
*Main and non Main English speaking countries including Inadequately Described, At Sea and Not Elsewhere Classified. ABS 2011 Census data.
Proficiency in Spoken English in the Gippsland Region, Victoria, 2011 Census
| English proficiency | Gippsland Region |
|---|---|
| Speaks English only | 232,709 |
| Speaks another language and speaks English | |
| Very well | 7,224 |
| Well | 3,174 |
| Not well | 1,155 |
| Not at all | 305 |
| Not stated - (both language and proficiency not stated) | 10,969 |
| Not stated - (language stated, proficiency not stated) | 193 |
| Total Persons | 255,729 |
Useful information links for the Gippsland Region
Information from the peak body representative for business, community organisations and industry across the Gippsland region, go to www.committeeforgippsland.com.au
For a copy of the Gippsland Regional plan 2010, go to www.rdv.vic.gov.au
For information about the Victorian coastal region of Gippsland go to www.gcb.vic.gov.au
LGA Regional Profiles:
- Gippsland Region
- Bass Coast (S)
- Baw Baw (S)
- East Gippsland (S)
- Latrobe (C)
- South Gippsland (S)
- Wellington (S)