Flooring follows housing, and in regional Victoria new housing arrives in estates that planners name years ahead. Each growth area has a plan that says how many homes it can hold, and a status that says whether anyone can build yet.
This guide names the main growth areas around each of our 11 open territories, and says which are building now and which are still being planned. Our guide to where regional Victoria is growing has the council-wide population and approvals figures. This one is about where the estates are.
The short version. The biggest plans are in Geelong and Ballarat, and the areas filling up fastest are around Armstrong Creek, Lara and Ballarat West. Smaller cities and towns each have one or two large growth areas, such as Echuca West and Leneva-Baranduda in Wodonga. The largest plans still being drafted are in Geelong's north and west, at Merrimu near Bacchus Marsh and in Ballarat's north.
What is a growth area, and how can you tell building from planning?
A growth area is land set aside for new housing, usually farmland on a town's edge. The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA), now part of the Department of Transport and Planning, describes a precinct structure plan (PSP) as a land use and infrastructure plan that guides how an area develops over time. The City of Greater Geelong says development can proceed once the Minister for Planning approves a PSP and it's written into the planning scheme.
We label each growth area below with one of three stages:
- Building now. A council says development is under way, or the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows the area adding people.
- Plan approved. The plan or rezoning is gazetted, so subdivisions can start.
- Being planned. A draft plan, framework or strategy only. Homes can't start until it's approved.
ABS figures are preliminary estimates, and an ABS area is bigger than the estates inside it, so read them as a signal.
Which growth areas are around each territory?
| Territory | Main growth areas | Where they stand |
|---|---|---|
| Geelong | Armstrong Creek, Lara West, Northern and Western Growth Areas | Armstrong Creek and Lara building; north and west being planned |
| Ballarat | Ballarat West, North Growth Area | West building; north being planned |
| Bendigo | Huntly, Strathfieldsaye, Marong, Maiden Gully | Huntly and Strathfieldsaye building; Marong plan approved |
| Shepparton | Shepparton North East, Shepparton South East, Kialla | Two plans approved; Kialla corridors being planned |
| Bairnsdale | East Bairnsdale and Lucknow | Plan endorsed in 2013 and being updated |
| Sale | Wurruk, North Sale, Longford | Land zoned or rezoned for developers |
| Mildura | Mildura South, Mildura East | South building; east being planned |
| Wodonga | Leneva-Baranduda | Stage one building; stage two being planned |
| Echuca | Echuca West | Plan approved in 2022 |
| Warrnambool | North East, North of the Merri River, North Dennington | Council plans from 2008 to 2014 |
| Bacchus Marsh | Merrimu, Parwan Station, Hopetoun Park North | Framework approved; Merrimu being planned |
What is building and what is planned, town by town?
Geelong: Armstrong Creek and the north and west
The City of Greater Geelong calls Armstrong Creek the largest contiguous growth area in Victoria: 2,500 hectares of developable land, planned for about 22,000 homes. It's building now: the council says its 794-hectare East precinct is under development, and the ABS areas that cover Armstrong Creek, Barwon Heads–Armstrong Creek and Charlemont, added 1,375 and 1,141 people in 2024–25, the two biggest gains of any ABS area outside Greater Melbourne. Its northern precinct, Marshall, was gazetted in December 2025 for more than 1,555 dwellings.
Lara West, approved in 2014 for about 11,000 people, is building too: the Lara area added 1,029 residents. Still being planned are the Northern and Western Geelong Growth Areas, which the VPA calls the largest greenfield planning project in regional Victoria: about 5,300 hectares and 40,000 homes in seven precinct plans. Victoria's target for Geelong is 128,600 homes by 2051, including 51,000 on greenfield land.
Ballarat: Ballarat West and the North Growth Area
The City of Ballarat says Ballarat West, across parts of Delacombe, Alfredton, Winter Valley and Lucas, is planned for up to 17,200 homes. It's building now: Delacombe added 1,037 people in 2024–25 and Alfredton 743. The North Growth Area, in parts of Mount Rowan and Miners Rest, is still being planned: the VPA's draft plan for its 571-hectare core area, exhibited in September and October 2025, shows 5,523 dwellings, and the council says up to 6,000 homes in all. Victoria's target for Ballarat is 46,900 homes by 2051, including 18,900 on greenfield land.
Bendigo: Huntly, Strathfieldsaye and Marong
The City of Greater Bendigo's Managed Growth Strategy names four greenfield areas: Huntly, Strathfieldsaye, Marong and Maiden Gully. Huntly and Strathfieldsaye are building now: 49% of the city's new homes in 2024 went up there, the council reports. The Minister has approved the amendment for Marong township, and structure plans are being prepared for Huntly. Victoria's target for Greater Bendigo is 37,000 homes by 2051, including 11,000 on greenfield land.
Shepparton: two approved plans and the Kialla corridors
Two precinct structure plans are approved. Shepparton North East was gazetted in 2019 for 177 hectares and about 1,500 homes, and Shepparton South East in June 2025 for about 385 hectares and 2,980 homes. Kialla is already growing, with its ABS area adding 237 people in 2024–25. The council lists the Kialla West and Kialla North growth corridors among its current strategic projects, so they're still being planned. Greater Shepparton's target is 15,250 homes by 2051.
Bairnsdale: East Bairnsdale and Lucknow
East Gippsland Shire Council's housing strategy, adopted in December 2023, names Bairnsdale, including Eastwood, Lucknow, Wy Yung and East Bairnsdale, as the preferred place for future growth. The East Bairnsdale/Lucknow precinct plan was endorsed in 2013 and is being updated, and nearby Paynesville has an adopted growth area structure plan. In August 2026 the council said up to 600 homes are expected in the Lanes Road precinct, but drainage works need to come first. The state's target for East Gippsland is 11,000 homes by 2051.
Sale: Wurruk, North Sale and Longford
Wellington Shire Council has opened up land around Sale. Its Wurruk Development Plan, adopted in June 2022, allows around 1,255 lots across six estates on land already zoned. By July 2023 the Minister had approved rezonings at North Sale and Longford for more than 400 more lots, and development of that land rests with landowners and developers. Wellington's target is 8,000 homes by 2051.
Mildura: Mildura South and Mildura East
Mildura South has been developed in stages, and its 2014 precinct plan allowed for about 9,000 new residents. Mildura East is next: the council adopted a framework in August 2024 for 1,050 hectares between Irymple and Nichols Point, where two growth precincts hold 15 development cells of roughly 108 to 350 lots each, according to its 2022 report. The council says implementation hasn't started, so it's still being planned. Mildura's target is 8,500 homes by 2051.
Wodonga: Leneva-Baranduda
Wodonga's precinct structure plan for Leneva-Baranduda was gazetted in April 2019 for 1,062 hectares, up to 6,037 dwellings and about 15,395 residents over 20 to 30 years. It's building now: the council says development is under way, and the Baranduda–Leneva area added 523 people in 2024–25. Stage two is still to be planned: the council is seeking funding for it, and says the whole growth area could eventually house more than 35,000 residents. Wodonga's target is 15,200 homes by 2051.
Echuca: Echuca West
The Minister gazetted Echuca West in September 2022: 615 hectares, enabling 5,000 dwellings and housing for around 14,000 residents. The council said it was working with developers on subdivisions and that the precinct would guide development for decades. Victoria's target for the whole shire is 4,500 homes by 2051, less than this one precinct can hold.
Warrnambool: three council plans
Warrnambool City Council's plans describe four major greenfield growth areas. North East Warrnambool provides for in the order of 1,500 to 1,600 lots, the North of the Merri River plan for about 2,200 lots on 250 hectares, and North Dennington covers about 160 hectares. The plans date from 2008 to 2014, so ask the council how much has been built. Victoria's target for Warrnambool is 7,200 homes by 2051.
Bacchus Marsh: Merrimu, Parwan Station and Hopetoun Park North
The Bacchus Marsh Urban Growth Framework, gazetted in December 2018, expects the town to more than double to 50,000 people by 2041 and names three housing precincts: Merrimu, Parwan Station and Hopetoun Park North. Merrimu is the big one: the VPA's draft plan covers about 907 hectares, 8,000 homes and 24,000 residents, and it's still being planned after exhibition in March 2026. The council sent the Hopetoun Park North rezoning to the Minister that month. Moorabool's target is 20,000 homes by 2051, so Merrimu alone would be 40% of it (our calculation).
What should you look for when you weigh up a territory?
Flooring follows finished homes, not plans, and a gazetted plan can take decades to fill: Wodonga's council expects 20 to 30 years for Leneva-Baranduda. So check what's already built, what's approved next, and whether roads and drainage are lined up, as at Lucknow. Compare each plan with its target too: Echuca West alone is bigger than Campaspe's 2051 target.
Each National Floors franchise has a non-exclusive Local Marketing Area, so it can take in more than one growth area, and your franchise agreement sets the exact boundary. Our guide to choosing a showroom location covers the rest of a site check. See every open town on the territory map, or check whether your area is open in about two minutes.
Questions
Where is the biggest new housing estate in regional Victoria?
Armstrong Creek, south of Geelong. The council calls it the largest contiguous growth area in Victoria, with 2,500 hectares of developable land planned for about 22,000 homes. Geelong's Northern and Western Growth Areas are bigger overall, at about 5,300 hectares, but they're still being planned.
What is a precinct structure plan?
The VPA describes it as a land use and infrastructure plan that guides how an area develops over time. Once the Minister for Planning approves one and it's written into the planning scheme, development can proceed in line with it.
Are these territories still open?
When this guide was published in October 2026, all 11 were open National Floors territories. The territory map has the latest.
Sources
- City of Greater Geelong: Armstrong Creek, whole growth area, East precinct, Marshall precinct, Amendment C278 (Marshall PSP) and Lara West growth area
- VPA: Northern and Western Geelong Growth Areas
- City of Ballarat: Enabling Growth 2026 launched, 27 April 2026, and VPA: Ballarat North with its draft precinct structure plan, September 2025
- City of Greater Bendigo: Managed Growth Strategy and Annual Report 2025–2026
- VPA: Shepparton North East and Shepparton South East precinct structure plans, with the plan documents for North East and South East
- Greater Shepparton City Council: current strategic projects
- East Gippsland Shire Council: Housing and Settlement Strategy, adoption release, 18 December 2023, East Bairnsdale/Lucknow Precinct Structure Plan and Lucknow housing growth, 10 August 2026
- Wellington Shire Council: Council opens up land to address housing shortage, 21 June 2022 and Land release in North Sale and Longford, 13 July 2023
- Mildura Rural City Council: Councillors endorse report on region's next major growth corridor, 28 July 2022, Mildura East Growth Area Strategic Framework Plan and Mildura South Precinct Structure Plan, October 2014
- City of Wodonga: Leneva Baranduda Growth Area and Planning for Leneva-Baranduda, stage 2, and VPA: Leneva-Baranduda Precinct Structure Plan
- Campaspe Shire Council: Residential land released, development to start, 9 September 2022
- Warrnambool City Council: North East Warrnambool Growth Area Structure Plan, North of the Merri River Structure Plan and North Dennington Structure Plan
- VPA: Bacchus Marsh Urban Growth Framework and Merrimu Precinct Structure Plan, and Moorabool Shire Council: Amendment C103moor, Hopetoun Park North
- Victorian Government: Plan for Victoria housing targets
- ABS: Regional population, 2024–25 (Table 2, estimated resident population by Statistical Area Level 2, Victoria)
- National Floors: the franchise opportunity