SHOPPERS in the Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC) have outspent the rest of the state over the Christmas period with a festive spend up by almost $6 million showing a strong focus on shopping local.

A hefty $54.36 million was spent in the Southern Grampians Shire by locals and visitors leading up to last Christmas – an 11 per cent increase in spending in 2022 that outshined Victoria’s average spending rise of 3.5 per cent and the national average of 3.6 per cent.