Victorian tourist spot Daylesford is known for its mineral springs and natural, misty beauty, but a growing gaggle of geese populating the town's lake has divided locals.

Key points: Hepburn Shire says the geese are scaring away native black swans, and intimidating visitors

Hepburn Shire says the geese are scaring away native black swans, and intimidating visitors The council will decide if the geese need to be rehomed, after receiving complaints from people

The council will decide if the geese need to be rehomed, after receiving complaints from people A local restaurateur says the geese are a popular attraction, and provide pleasure to visitors

Hepburn Shire's biodiversity officer Brian Bainbridge said more than 30 non-native geese were scaring away native black swans, affecting the health of Lake Daylesford and, during the breeding season, intimidating visitors.

This week councillors will vote to decide whether or not the geese need to be rehomed.

But the owner of a well-known lakeside restaurant and hotel said the birds were an important attraction and she said she would fight to keep them there.

Mayor suspects geese illegally dumped

Hepburn Shire Mayor Don Henderson said the problem was growing, with native wildlife being "bullied" by the non-native geese and ducks.

The council has received multiple complaints about the behaviour of the geese during breeding season, as well as residents expressing concern about the birds trampling vegetation and affecting the water quality.

The shire spends around $5,000 each year cleaning boardwalks and jetties of geese droppings.

Councillor Henderson believed some of the geese were pets that were dumped in the lake — an issue that had also arisen in Melbourne.

"People get a goose or a duck and then they love it until it grows up," he said.

"It's no longer the little fluffy thing and so they let it go in the local lake.

"I suspect that's what's happening in Daylesford.

"People think 'Oh well, there are 20 geese down there, it won't hurt to take our couple down'."

A council report stated 33 geese were counted in March this year, up from 20 geese and a gosling counted in September last year.

The Lake Daylesford geese are a popular subject on Instagram. ( Instagram: artbyyolanda )

Geese to be rehomed, not 'slaughtered or mistreated'

Councillor Henderson said if council voted to shift the geese, a suitable home had been found on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne.

"We are very conscious that people do like the birds," he said.

"If we decide to get rid of them we've found a place where they can be rehomed, so they're not going to be slaughtered or mistreated."

The council report said rehoming the geese — at a cost of $2,750 — would prevent long-term issues such as algal blooms that may result from the birds' detrimental impact on the lake's health, as well as sending the message that dumping unwanted pets was not acceptable.

'Minority' of people worried about them

Fine-dining restaurant and hotel the Lake House sits on Lake Daylesford, and co-owner and culinary director Alla Wolf-Tasker said the geese were a crucial part of the character of the area.

"The geese provide an enormous amount of pleasure to a lot of people," she said.

"I think it's the minority of people who are worried about them."

Lake House culinary director Alla Wolf-Tasker says she'd be sorry to see them go. ( Supplied: Lake House Daylesford )

Ms Wolf-Tasker said her business had two pairs of geese that lived on the lake before the flock grew.

She said feeding the geese was an important experience for visitors to the lake and the birds only got aggressive when they had goslings.

"Their bark is far greater than their bite," she said.

"They tend to run at you with their wings outspread and they can look very ferocious but they have no teeth, so the most they can do is a bit of a thump with their beak."

Lake House co-owner Alla Wolf-Tasker predicts there will be a huge outcry on social media if the geese are rehomed. ( Instagram: georgeweissphotography )

Geese are popular 'characters' on social media

Ms Wolf-Tasker said a lot of people took photos of the geese for social media platform Instagram.

She said there would be a big outcry on social media if visitors knew the birds were going to be rehomed.

"It would be a real shame because they're real characters," she said.

She believed the council was overstating the effect the geese were having on other native birds and would be "very sad" to see them go.

"I'm certainly hoping that common sense will prevail," Ms Wolf-Tasker said.