Our strategic advantages

Northern Grampians Shire is situated on multiple strategically important transport routes, including the Sunraysia and Western highways, Australia’s third-busiest interstate freight route. Centrally located between Melbourne and Adelaide, Northern Grampians Shire provides a strategic advantage for businesses and investment. The municipality is also within close proximity of major regional centres, including Ballarat, Bendigo and Horsham.

Northern Grampians Shire’s economy is heavily influenced by traditional industries, with the top three employment sectors being healthcare and social assistance, agriculture, and manufacturing. These three employment sectors reflect the region’s dependence on service- and resource-based industries. In 2025, Northern Grampians Shire's GRP was estimated at $1.090 billion, growing at an annual rate of .8%, and annual economic output was $2.5 billion (Source REMPLAN).

The top three industries for economic output are mining, manufacturing and agriculture. Industry is generally concentrated in the towns of Stawell and St Arnaud and includes activities such as brick making, meat processing, steel fabrication, feed production, supply and service of farm machinery and small service industry.

The Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park is one of regional Victoria’s biggest tourism destinations, receiving 2.249 million visitor trips in 2025, producing a total expenditure of $673 million.

The shire hosts the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory, located approximately one kilometre underground in the Stawell Gold Mine. The facility is the only underground particle physics laboratory of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and supports research in areas including dark matter.

Northern Grampians Shire is home to renowned tourism events, including the Stawell Gift and Grampians Grape Escape. An extensive events calendar attracts many visitors to the region. The shire also boasts a thriving arts and culture scene, with numerous public art, galleries and cultural spaces. St Arnaud has a Silo and Mural Art Trail, and WAMA Australia's first space dedicated to environmental art is located in Halls Gap.