The Shire of Paroo is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

South West Queensland South West Queensland is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers . The region lies to the south of Central West Queensland and west of the Darling Downs and includes the Maranoa, Queensland, Maranoa district and parts o ...

, Australia. The administrative centre is the town of

Cunnamulla Cunnamulla () is a town and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Charleville, Queensland, Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the 2021 Au ...

. The Paroo Shire covers an area of . In the , the Shire of Paroo had a population of 1,679 people.

Geography

The region incorporates the towns of

Yowah Yowah is an outback town and locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Yowah had a population of 126 people. The town is known for its opal mining and numerous opal fields that lie around the town as well ...

, Eulo and Wyandra, with

being the hub of the Shire and is centrally situated on the crossroads of the Balonne and Mitchell Highways.

, meaning "long stretch of water", gets its name from the

Warrego River The Warrego River is an intermittent river that is part of the Darling catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, which is located in South West Queensland and in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Warrego River is the north ...

which flows past the town. The Paroo Shire is bounded by the Open Mitchell Grass Flood Plains in the East to the

Yowah opal fields Yowah is an outback town and locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Yowah had a population of 126 people. The town is known for its opal mining and numerous opal fields that lie around the town as well a ...

where the

Yowah nut The Yowah nut is a type of precious opal, found within the Yowah opal fields situated in Yowah, Shire of Paroo, South West Queensland, Australia since the latter part of the 19th century. These opals are known for their distinctive nut-like shape, ...

is found and the

Mulga lands The Mulga Lands are an interim Australian bioregion of eastern Australia consisting of dry sandy plains with low mulga woodlands and shrublands that are dominated by ''Acacia aneura'' (mulga). The Eastern Australia mulga shrublands ecoregio ...

to the West. Main industries within the Shire are

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

, fat lamb,

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

, opal mining and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. Located in a semi-arid zone, the region has temperatures in summer ranging from 15 degrees to 37 degrees Celsius and winter temperature ranges from 2 to 25 degrees Celsius.

History

Gunya (Kunya, Kunja, Kurnja) is an

Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

spoken by the Gunya people. The Gunya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Paroo Shire Council, taking in

and extending north towards Augathella, east towards Bollon and west towards

Thargomindah Thargomindah (frequently shortened to Thargo) is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Bulloo, Queensland, Australia. The town of Thargomindah is the administrative centre for the Shire of Bulloo. In the , the locality of Thargomindah h ...

. Paroo Division was established on 11 November 1879 as one of the original divisions proclaimed under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' with a population of 799. On 3 June 1880, the western part of the Paroo Division was separated to create the Bulloo Division. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Paroo Division became the Shire of Paroo on 31 March 1903. In 1924, a new shire hall was being built, but it was wrecked in a violent dust storm on 5 February. However, they were able to straighten and strengthen the building and it was finally opened on 6 December 1924 by the Minister for Public Instruction, Frank Brennan. In 2018, an inspection revealed the foundations of the building had shifted and the building was unsafe; it was demolished in 2019. In 2020, construction commenced on a new civic centre, which was officially opened on 28 April 2021 by the Queensland Deputy General for Local Government, Natalie Wilde, and Paroo Shire Mayor, Suzette Beresford.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Paroo includes the following settlements: * Barringun *

* Coongoola * Eulo * Humeburn * Tuen * Wyandra *

Amenities

The Paroo Shire Council Civic Centre is located on the corner of Stockyard Street and Louise Street in Cunnamulla. Paroo Shire Council operates public libraries at Cunnamulla, Wyandra and Yowah.

Demographics

Chairmen and mayors

* 1907: William Duncan Rankin * 1924: Mr Mackay * 1927: John Henry Kerr *1952: Jack Tonkin * 1965–1988: Darby Land *2006: Ian Tonkin * 2008–2012: Jo Sheppard * 2012–2020: Lindsay Godfrey *2020–present: Suzette Catherine Beresford

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paroo Shire Local government areas of Queensland 1879 establishments in Australia