The Bega Valley Shire 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 State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

located adjacent to the south-eastern coastline of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The Shire was formed in 1981 with the amalgamation of the

Municipality of Bega A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

, Imlay Shire and

Mumbulla Shire Mumbulla Shire was a local government area in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Mumbulla Shire was proclaimed on 7 March 1906, one of 134 shires created after the passing of the ''Local Government (Shires) Act 1905''. The ...

, with its name deriving from the town of Bega. The shire is also known as the Sapphire Coast for tourism and marketing purposes. During the

2019–20 Australian bushfire season The 201920 Australian bushfire season (Black Summer), was a period of bushfires in many parts of Australia, which, due to its unusual intensity, size, duration, and uncontrollable dimension, is considered a megafire. The Australian National ...

, the area was devastated by fire, with 448 houses being destroyed by fire and approximately 365,000 hectares burned, which is 58% of the Shire's total land mass. The estimated population as at the was 33,253.

Area

The shire covers , and includes a coastline of , with 101 beaches and 26

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environme ...

. Around 78% of the area belongs to various

national parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

and state forests. The biggest industry is the production of

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

, followed by

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

farming and other agriculture. Smaller industries include fishing,

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...

harvesting, and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

. The Biamanga National Park includes important Aboriginal sites.

Towns and localities

The area extends from Bermagui in the north to the Victorian border in the south and includes the towns of Bega, Tathra,

Merimbula Merimbula is a town on the Merimbula Lake, located on the Far South Coast or Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia. At the , the population was 3,544. The population within 10 km of the Merimbula Post office is over 18,000 people ...

Tura Beach Tura Beach is a suburb of Merimbula, on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, in the Bega Valley Shire local government area. It lies approximately 6 km north of Merimbula. At the , Tura Beach had a population of 3,158 people wi ...

, Wolumla,

Cobargo Cobargo is a village in the south-east area of the state of New South Wales in Australia in Bega Valley Shire. At the , Cobargo had a population of 776 people. It is 386 km south of Sydney on the Princes Highway between Narooma and Bega. T ...

Bemboka Bemboka is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on the Snowy Mountains Highway, in the Bega Valley Shire local government area, south of the state capital, Sydney. At the , the Bemboka gazetted ...

Pambula Pambula is a town in Bega Valley Shire on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia south of Sydney via the Princes Highway. At the , Pambula had a population of 970 people. History The area was populated by the Thaua Aboriginal peop ...

, Pambula Beach and the former whaling port, tourism hotspot, and major port of Eden. Smaller localities include:

Council

Bega Valley Shire Council is composed of nine

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s elected proportionally as one entire

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the Council is as follows: The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:

Demographics

References

External links