The Shire of Murgon was 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

South Burnett The South Burnett is a peanut growing and wine-producing area on the Great Dividing Range, north of the Darling Downs, in Queensland. It is with the basin of the Burnett River. The area is within two local government areas, South Burnett Region ...

region of

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1914 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the South Burnett area to become the

South Burnett Regional Council The South Burnett Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. In the , the South Burnett Region had a population of 32,996 people. Geography The South Burnett Regio ...

. Major activities in the shire include

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

farming,

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 ...

cattle production and wine.

History

Murgon was initially part of the Barambah Divisional Board which was proclaimed in 1879, and became part of the Kilkivan division when it split away from Barambah in 1888. In 1910, the Shire of Weinholt (now

Wondai Wondai () is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Wondai had a population of 1,975 people. Geography Wondai is located to the south of the Bunya Highway, north west of the st ...

) split from Kilkivan, and in 1914, parts of the Weinholt and Kilkivan shires formed independently as the Shire of Murgon. An area of Murgon known as the Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement, although located entirely within the Shire's boundaries, was functionally separate from the Shire and administered by the Native Affairs Department. On 28 August 1986, a

Deed of Grant in Trust A Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) is the name for a system of community-level land trust established in Queensland to administer former Aboriginal reserves and missions. They came about through the enactment by the Queensland Government of the '' ...

was granted to the Cherbourg community, and the ''Local Government (Community Government Areas) Act 2004'' gave Cherbourg formal legal recognition as a local government. On 15 March 2008, under the ''Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007'' passed by the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature, legislative body of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists o ...

on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Murgon merged with the Shires of

Kingaroy Kingaroy () is a rural town and suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the Road Junction, junction of the D'Aguilar Highway, D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highway, Buny ...

and

Nanango Nanango is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nanango had a population of 3,679 people. Geography Nanango is situated north-west of the ...

to form the

South Burnett Region The South Burnett Region is a local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. In the , the South Burnett Region had a population of 32,996 people. Geography The South Burnett Region covers an area , containing a ...

. Cherbourg continued to be administered by the separate

Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council Cherbourg (), formerly known as Barambah, Barambah Aboriginal Settlement and Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement, is a rural town and locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Cherbourg, South Burnett region, Queensland, Australia. The traditional owner ...

Towns and localities

The Shire of Murgon included the following settlements: *

Murgon Murgon () is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,220 people. Geography Murgon is in the region of Queensland ...

* Cloyna * Moffatdale *

Windera Windera is a town in the South Burnett Region and a locality split between the South Burnett Region and the Gympie Region in Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Windera had a population of 105 people. Geography Windera was the term ...

* Wooroonden

Chairmen

* 1927: Robert Joseph Webster

Population

The following are the census populations given for the years shown. Until the 1971 census, the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...

(ABS) did not count full-blood Aboriginals. As at 2006, almost 10% of the population were Aboriginal, not counting the Cherbourg area. Also, until 1 July 2002, the ABS included the

councils within the Shire of Murgon statistical local area. Information for the reduced Shire back to 1996 has been provided on the ABS website through the Time Series Profile.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shire Of Murgon

Populated places established in 1914 2008 disestablishments in Australia Populated places disestablished in 2008