Council Reflects on Achievements as 2021-2025 Council Plan Wraps Up

Published on 25 July 2025

Hindmarsh Shire Council is proud to mark the completion of its Council Plan 2021-2025 (the Plan), reflecting both on four years of progress, partnership and service, and on what can be achieved in the new draft Council Plan 2025-2029 that is currently available for community feedback.

The Plan, adopted in 2021 by the previous Council, set a clear vision and direction for the four years, focusing on delivering meaningful outcomes under the key themes of Our Community, Built and Natural Environment, Competitive and Innovative Economy, and Good Governance and Financial Sustainability.

“This Plan was built with the community, and we’ve stayed committed to delivering on what matters most,” Hindmarsh Shire Council Mayor, Cr Ron Ismay, said. “We’ve improved local infrastructure, expanded services, supported local business through recovery, and taken real steps toward a more sustainable and connected future.”

Over the four-year period, Council delivered 123 grants to community groups and businesses across the Shire, loaned over 23,000 items to library members and consulted with the community over 50 times! Hundreds of people attended classic movie screenings, school holidays screenings, and normal scheduled screenings at the Nhill Cinema.

2021-2025 saw some incredible developments across the Shire – the new Rainbow Library and Customer Service Centre and upgrades to the Nhill Library, Nhill Tennis Club’s new clubrooms, Jeparit Riverside Precinct, Nhill Dog Park, the start of work on the Davis Park tiered seating and AFL-compliant changerooms, Rainbow Lake, new cabins at all four Holiday Parks, Rainbow Netball Changerooms, Rainbow Rises site upgrades, Nhill Cane Ball Court, Centenary Park upgrade in Nhill and the Soundshell upgrade in Dimboola – to name a few!

Funding for public art saw the completion of the Arkona Silo Art, Dimboola Laneway Mural, with Llew Schilling’s Silo Art Activation set for completion in 2025/2026.

From story time, to craft, supported playgroup and our contracts with Emerge Early Years Services, our youngest residents found safe, supportive and fun places to learn and grow. Our youth team continued to facilitate the Youth Council and deliver fantastic school holidays programs, funded by Engage and FreeZA funding, and seniors were able to connect through Cuppa Connections, Classic Movies and live music.

Key roads within the agricultural network saw upgrades, including Woorak-Ni Ni-Lorquon Road, Winiam East Road, Albacutya Road, Propadollah-Netherby Road and Dimboola-Minyip Road.

Reflecting on the journey, the Mayor acknowledged the challenges and the importance of maintaining an open and honest relationship with the community, saying, “We know we didn’t always get everything right - but we’ve been transparent about the challenges and responsive when things didn’t go as planned. What matters is that we’ve continued to listen, learn, and deliver a lot of really good work that benefits our community.”

The complete review of the Council Plan can be found by scanning the QR code or visiting www.hindmarsh.vic.gov.au/council-plan, but we also encourage community members to browse our Annual Reports, available at www.hindmarsh.vic.gov.au/annual-reports, to see a breakdown of what we’ve achieved each year.

For more information, please contact Petra Croot, Director Corporate and Community Services on 03 5391 4444 or email info@hindmarsh.vic.gov.au.