Alpine Shire Council encourages community members to review the draft Alpine Shire Rural Directions Strategy, a document that has been developed to better understand issues and development pressures in rural areas of Alpine Shire.
The draft Strategy also seeks to best protect valuable agricultural and horticultural land into the future.
In 2025, Council asked community members living in rural areas of Alpine Shire for their perspectives on what the challenges and opportunities are for this land.
These areas included Buckland Valley, Buffalo River, Dederang, Freeburgh, Harrietville, Merriang, Merriang South, Mudgegonga, Myrtleford, Tawonga, and Wandiligong.
The responses have now been considered and have informed a draft Alpine Shire Rural Directions Strategy, which seeks to outline a vision for rural land across Alpine Shire, and provide six strategic directions to guide Council's actions now and into the future.
Alpine Shire Mayor, Cr Sarah Nicholas, thanked the hundreds of people who contributed to the draft Strategy, including those that completed the survey, attended the workshops, and came along to a drop-in session.
"We had almost 200 responses to our engagement period leading up to the draft, so I'm keen to see how many people have something to say about the Strategy now that it's available in draft form," she said.
"You told us that there is a need to protect productive agricultural land and farming viability, as well as support agritourism and economic diversification, alongside addressing housing shortages for workers and families.
"Now we're encouraging you to review our draft Strategy and make sure that we've got it right."
Community members are invited to provide feedback on the draft Strategy in the following ways:
- Completing a survey either online on Engage Alpine or in-person at one of three Council libraries in Bright, Mount Beauty, and Myrtleford
- Attending a community drop-in session in Harrietville, Myrtleford, Porepunkah, or Wandiligong in late March
- Contacting one of Council's Strategic Planners by ringing (03) 5755 0555 or emailing info@alpineshire.vic.gov.au
Council will be hosting a series of community drop-in sessions in Harrietville, Myrtleford, Porepunkah, or Wandiligong.
Harrietville
2pm - 4pm on Monday, 23 March 2026
Harrietville Community Hall
Wandiligong
6pm - 8pm on Monday, 23 March 2026
Wandiligong Hall
Porepunkah
10.30am - 12.30pm on Tuesday, 24 March 2026
Porepunkah Hall
Myrtleford
2.30pm - 4.30pm on Tuesday, 24 March 2026
Myrtleford Senior Citizens Centre
More information is available online by visiting https://engage.alpineshire.vic.gov.au/alpine-rural-directions-strategy
Opportunities for review and feedback will close on Monday, 13 April 2026.