The Cowra 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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

in the Central West region of

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 ...

, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the

Lachlan River The Lachlan River (Wiradjuri: ''Kalari'', ''Galiyarr'') is an intermittent river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, located in the Southern Tablelands, Central West, and Riverina regions of New Sou ...

, the

Mid-Western Highway Mid-Western Highway, sometimes Mid Western Highway, is a state highway located in the central western and northern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The highway services rural communities and links the Great Western, Mitchell, ...

and the

Lachlan Valley Way Lachlan Valley Way is a New South Wales country road running from Booligal to north of Yass. It was named after the Lachlan River, and follows its southern bank for the majority of its length. Route Lachlan Valley Way commences at the interse ...

. The largest town and council seat is

Cowra Cowra () is a town in the Central West, New South Wales, Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 8,254. Cowra is located approximate ...

. The municipality also has a number of small villages: Billimari,

Darbys Falls Darbys Falls is a small village situated 15 km east of Cowra, New South Wales. In 2011, there were 316 people living in Darbys Falls, including 5 indigenous people. The population was 51.9% are male and 48.1% are female. Located near the v ...

, Gooloogong, Morongla, Noonbinna, Wattamondara,

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

, and

Wyangala Wyangala is a small village in the Lachlan Valley, near the junction of the Abercrombie and Lachlan Rivers, just below the Wyangala Dam wall. It is in the South West Slopes of New South Wales, Australia, and about west of the state capital, ...

. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

of Cowra Shire Council is Ruth Fagan.

Council

Cowra Shire Council has nine

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s elected proportionally as a single

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

is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent by-election was held on 21 December 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows: The current Council is:

Election results

2024

2021

References

External links

{{Authority control Local government areas of New South Wales 1980 establishments in Australia Cowra