Since Canberra was the first to be accepted into the network in 2011, places like Gippsland, Illawarra, Fremantle and Burnie have followed suit.

Australia's participation in the global network is proven important by its rank of 16 in a list of the 36 members, comparing the percentage of each country's population aged 60 and over.

Nearly 7.9 per cent of Australians were in this age group at July 2018, which is a higher proportion than in Switzerland, Japan and New Zealand.

Globally, the total number of people over 60 is set to double by 2050.

In Indigo Shire, there was a 64 per cent group in the 50-plus age group in the five years to 2016, and the population is expected to grow the most within the 70-84 age group between now and 2031.

To prepare for this, the council prepared an Ageing Well Strategy in March, which was crucial to their application to the WHO age-friendly network.

The council's first ageing well officer Kate O'Toole is now eight months into her role.

"Our Ageing Well Strategy was adopted a few days after I started - it's been a huge part of what I'm doing," she said.

"Recently, we had some training that was offered to staff and councillors in Beechworth and Yackandandah, and we'll do one in Rutherglen.

"It's making sure we're understanding how we can be dementia-friendly, and what we can do on a day-to-day basis to make our communities safer for people with dementia.

"That crosses over for anyone who might have any neurological disorder.

"They're our highest growth area for disability in Australia, so it's really important for us to be across that."

Enhancing accessibility can be a challenge in settings protected by heritage overlays - Australia Post's plans to modify the 19^th century post office in town were knocked back and they ultimately moved out.

"I think we did exactly what we needed to do in that case," mayor Jenny O'Connor said.

"We do have old buildings that are not always accessible.

"For example, we don't use the top of the old shire building ... and until we can make that accessible, we won't use it, because it would exclude people.

"But we try to create access wherever we can.

"There are some places where, like the post office, there was a feeling that we didn't want different access points for people because it's a service."

In other cases, like Burke Museum, a separate disability access has been created.

Ms O'Toole is the secretary of the Indigo Community Access Committee, which will help guide new council infrastructure, according to the Ageing Well strategy.

"Another program that Indigo Shire has embraced really well is Good Access, Good Business," she said.

"That's about recognising access isn't just about physical mobility.

"It could be things like hearing loss, dementia, and language - businesses have gone through the checklist to make their business more accessible."

Transport is also raised among the strategy's 66 actions.

"We know we're in the country, and we don't have a lot of public transport, but there are more options than people know about," Ms O'Toole said.

"There's no current discussion for council to be providing community transport, but I'm working on maximising the existing partnerships.

"It's looking at health services and schools, even things like the L2P program where we have a car sitting there - can we utilise that better?

"It's a little outside what its actual purpose might be, but it's younger people and older people needing the most support with driving."

More intergenerational interaction, and valuing older people and their contributions, is another important area.

Behind any major event across the council area, are retired residents and older service club members.

The Rotary Club of Beechworth has put money and effort into a number of improvements at Lake Sambell.

President Jim Fiford said installation of adult outdoor exercise equipment in the Rotary Park was finished in October.

"We've been working on doing this for nearly two years," he said.

"The project had a grant towards it of $5000 from the 2009 Victorian bushfires commemoration and community development grant scheme, and on top of that $4000 from the Bendigo Bank.

"We've put in from the club a little bit more than dollar-for-dollar - we've spent $18,900 on it so far."

Mr Fiford said the equipment had been popular, as had the installation of a pontoon for Lake Sambell.

"The people of our age group are quite actively involved in the Beechworth community," he said.

Cr O'Connor said creating safe and happy places to live was "not about local government, but the people," she said.

"Older residents are experts in many professions and skills," she said.

"They have time and willingness to do things for people.

"We would not have the communities we do without older volunteers doing what they do."