Meredith

Meredith is a rural township in Victoria located within the Golden Plains Shire, approximately 94 kilometres west of Melbourne’s central business district and about 36 kilometres north-west of Geelong.

Positioned along the Midland Highway between Geelong and Ballarat, the town provides road access to regional employment centres and connects to the Princes Freeway via Geelong.

According to the 2021 Census, Meredith recorded a population of 850 residents, reflecting modest growth consistent with rural townships within commuting distance of larger cities.

The locality is characterised by broadacre farmland, grazing properties and low-density residential development, with agriculture remaining a significant land use in the surrounding district.

Meredith supports essential services including a primary school, general store, hotel and community recreation facilities. In contrast, a wider range of retail, health, and secondary education services is accessed in Bannockburn, Ballarat, or Geelong.

The township is known for hosting the annual Meredith Music Festival, held on private farmland south of the town, which attracts visitors from across Victoria and interstate.

Renewable energy infrastructure, including wind farms in the wider Moorabool Shire region, forms part of the broader landscape and contributes to local economic activity.

Public transport options within Meredith are limited, with no regular passenger rail service operating through the town, and most residents rely on private vehicles for travel.

Community life centres on local sporting clubs, the recreation reserve and agricultural events that reflect the district’s farming heritage.

Meredith experiences a temperate climate with warm, dry summers and cool winters typical of inland areas of south-west Victoria.