When Victoria's local government elections arrive in October, City of Greater Shepparton voters will face a vastly different landscape to what they did the last time they went to the polls.
A major restructure of the Greater Shepparton City Council has seen wards forced on the municipality by the state government, meaning voters will elect a single councillor to represent them in whichever of the nine wards they live in.
The council itself opposed the changes that Local Government Minister Melissa Horne has imposed on Greater Shepparton.
Under those reforms, the council will transform from an unsubdivided council with nine councillors, each representing the whole of the municipality, to having one councillor in each ward representing that ward.
Ms Horne said the new electoral arrangements would ensure councils are more reflective of the communities they represent.
The changes occur after the election, meaning the current councillors who wish to stand for re-election, or candidates hoping to be elected to council, must choose which ward they plan to stand for.
Following is an outline of the five new wards that cover central Shepparton and the areas of Greater Shepparton they take in.
Central Shepparton
Shepparton itself has been divided into five wards: McEwen and Balaclava, capturing the northern suburbs; Poplar, the eastern portion; Kialla, the southern; and Yanha Gurtji, the city centre.
McEwen Ward
McEwen's western boundary follows the Goulburn River from Knight St northwards to Wanganui Rd, its northern limit.
It's eastern boundary is Wyndham St and Numurkah Rd.
That places one of the city's major sporting precincts, John McEwen Reserve, in the ward along with the Shepparton Golf Club and Deca.
Balaclava Ward
This ward is bordered by Wyndham St and Numurkah Rd along its eastern boundary, Ford Rd in the north, Grahamvale Rd to the east, Benalla Rd and Knight St in the south.
It includes landmarks such as GV Health, Shepparton Christian College and significant commercial and light industrial sectors north of Benalla Rd.
Poplar Ward
One of the most diverse wards, Poplar's boundaries include the Broken River to its south, Benalla Rd in its north and Doyles Rd along its east. Its western boundary follows Archer St south from Benalla Rd to St Andrews Rd where it turns west to St Georges Rd, then south to Wilmot St and then back east to Archer St.
It then continues south to the Broken River.
This ward includes the Shepparton Marketplace and Bunnings shopping areas in its northern portion, the Lifestyle and Kensington Gardens retirement villages on Channel Rd and some rural and commercial or light industrial properties as well.
Kialla Ward
The Kialla Ward has the Broken River as its northern boundary and the Seven Creeks as its eastern side. Doyles and River roads are its eastern and southern boundaries.
This ward is mostly residential, but includes some rural and commercial aspects, including the airport and Riverside Plaza.
Yanha Gurtji Ward
The only ward to carry a name in the local Yorta Yorta language, meaning ‘Come walk with me friend’, this has the Shepparton Art Museum, and the railway line at its centre.
Its boundaries include the Goulburn River along the east, Knight St to its north, the railway line, High St, Archer St, St Andrews Rd, St Georges Rd, Wilmot Rd and Archer St again along the western boundary and the Broken River in the south.
The four remaining rural wards will be featured in Monday’s Shepparton News.