The Shire of Balonne 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, over from the state capital,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. It covers an area of , and has existed as a local government entity since 1879. It is headquartered in its main town,

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

. In the , the Shire of Balonne had a population of 4,320 people.

History

Kamilaroi The Gamilaroi, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous Australians, Indi ...

(also known as Gamilaroi, Gamilaraay, Comilroy) 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 ...

of South-West Queensland. It is closely related to Yuwaalaraay and Yuwaalayaay. The Kamilaroi language region includes the local government area of the Shire of Balonne, including the towns of

Dirranbandi Dirranbandi is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the border of Queensland with New South Wales. In the , the locality of Dirranbandi had a population of 610 people. Geography Dirranb ...

, Thallon, Talwood and Bungunya as well as the border towns of

Mungindi Mungindi is a town and locality on the border of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, Australia. The town is within Moree Plains Shire in New South Wales. Within Queensland, the locality is split between the Shire of Balonne (the western part) ...

and Boomi extending to Moree, Tamworth and

Coonabarabran Coonabarabran () is a town in Warrumbungle Shire that sits on the divide between the Central West and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of 2,387, Material was copied from th ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Yuwaalaraay The Yuwaalaraay, also spelt Euahlayi, Euayelai, Eualeyai, Ualarai, Yuwaaliyaay and Yuwallarai, are an Aboriginal Australian people of north-western New South Wales. Name and language The ethnonym derives from their word for "no" () to which ...

(also known as ''Yuwalyai, Euahlayi, Yuwaaliyaay, Gamilaraay, Kamilaroi, Yuwaaliyaayi'') is an

spoken on Yuwaalaraay country. The Yuwaalaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Balonne, including the town of

as well as the border town of Hebel extending to

Walgett Walgett is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of Walgett Shire. It is near the junctions of the Barwon and Namoi Rivers and the Kamilaroi and Castlereagh Highways. In 2021, Walgett had a population of 1,377. In the ...

and

Collarenebri Collarenebri ( ) is a town in north western New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Walgett Shire Local Government Area and is situated on the Barwon River approximately northeast of Walgett and south west of Mungindi on the Gwydir H ...

.' Yuwaalayaay (also known as ''Yuwalyai, Euahlayi, Yuwaaliyaay, Gamilaraay, Kamilaroi, Yuwaaliyaayi'') is an

spoken on Yuwaalayaay country. It is closely related to the

Gamilaraay The Gamilaroi, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Austr ...

and

languages. The Yuwaalayaay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Balonne, including the town of

as well as the border town of

Goodooga Goodooga is a town in the Australian state of New South Wales in Brewarrina Shire on the eastern bank of the Bokhara River. It is near Brewarrina and Lightning Ridge, its closest neighbour. The town lies south of the Queensland border, and the ...

extending to

and the

Narran Lakes The Narran Wetlands, also known as the Narran Lakes, contained within the Narran Lake Nature Reserve, comprise a series of protected ephemeral lakes and swamps fed by the Narran River in the north-west of New South Wales, Australia. The reserve ...

in New South Wales.' Ula Ula Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' with a population of 1271. The name ''Ula Ula'' is believed to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''water lilies'', or ''ripples on water'' A separate municipality, the

Borough of St George The Shire of Balonne is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia, over from the state capital, Brisbane. It covers an area of , and has existed as a local government entity since 1879. It is headquartered in its main town, St ...

was gazetted on 31 July 1884, but on 13 March 1886 it was abolished and amalgamated back into Ula Ula Division. On 11 March 1903, Ula Ula Division was renamed Balonne Division, after the

Balonne River The Balonne River, part of the Murray-Darling Basin system, is a short yet significant part of the inland river group of South West Queensland, Australia. Course and features The river is a continuation of the Condamine River. After flowing th ...

. The name ''Balonne'' is believed to be of Aboriginal origin meaning ''water'' or ''running stream''. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Balonne Division became Shire of Balonne on 31 March 1903.

Rivers

The area contains the Balonne, Barwon, Boomi,

Culgoa Culgoa is a town in the Mallee region in the north west of the Australian state of Victoria. The town is about from the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2021 census, Culgoa had a population of 86, declining from 101 in 2016. Primary producti ...

, Little Weir, Maranoa, Moonie, and Narran rivers, which attract fishermen seeking both yellowbelly and

Murray cod The Murray cod (''Maccullochella peelii'') is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the genus '' Maccullochella'' in the family Percichthyidae.Dianne J. Bray & Vanessa J. Thompson (2011Murray Cod, Maccullochella peelii Fishes of Au ...

Towns and localities

The Shire of Balonne includes the following settlements: *

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) * Alton (surname) Places Australia * Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zeala ...

* Bollon * Boolba *

* Hebel *

Nindigully Nindigully is a rural town within the locality of Thallon in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. Geography Nindigully is north of the town of Thallon, the main town in the locality. The Moonie River flows south to north passing th ...

* Thallon

Annual events

Annual events include: * Fishing competitions * A golf carnival * Motorbike endurance rallies * Country shows and rodeos * Wool, craft and flower shows

Chairmen and mayors

* 1927: David Robert Roberts * 2008–2016: Donna Stewart * 2016: Richard Marsh *2020: Samantha Cathleen O'Toole Other notable members of the council include: * Eddie Beardmore, council member for 15 years and deputy chairman for 8 years, also

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former Electoral dis ...

for Balonne

Demographics

Services

Through Rural Libraries Queensland, Balonne Shire Council operates libraries at

(headquarters), Bollon,

, Hebel and Thallon.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balonne Shire Local government areas of Queensland South West Queensland 1879 establishments in Australia