Walgett 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 Orana 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 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 northern boundary of the Shire is located adjacent to the border between New South Wales and

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 ...

. The town of

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 ...

is located on the

Namoi River The Namoi River, a major perennial river that is part of the Barwon catchment of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes districts of New South Wales, Australia. The Namoi River rises on the west ...

, nearby to its junction with the Barwon River and at the junction of the

Kamilaroi Highway Kamilaroi Highway is a state highway located in the north-western region of New South Wales, Australia, and links via and to . The highway is named after the Kamilaroi Indigenous Australian people who live in the area. Route The highway b ...

and the

Castlereagh Highway Castlereagh Highway is a state highway located in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. From north to south the highway traverses South West Queensland and the North West Slopes, Orana (New South Wales), Orana, and Central West (New South ...

. The Shire is divided between the agricultural areas (producing wool, cattle, wheat and cotton), which are near the Barwon and Namoi rivers or south-east of the Barwon River, and the

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

country north-west of the Barwon River, including the black opal mining and

fossicking In Australia, New Zealand and Cornwall, fossicking is prospecting, especially when carried out as a recreational activity. This can be for gold, precious stones, fossils, etc. by sifting through a prospective area. In Australian English and New Z ...

town of

Lightning Ridge Lightning Ridge is a small outback town in north-western New South Wales, Australia. Part of Walgett Shire, Lightning Ridge is situated near the southern border of Queensland, about east of the Castlereagh Highway. The Lightning Ridge area is ...

. Prior to 1957, when Lightning Ridge was established as a significant settlement, the outback country was part of the Western Division. 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 Walgett Shire Council is Jasen Ramien who is unaligned with any political party.

Towns and villages

Walgett Shire includes

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 ...

Pokataroo Pokataroo is a small settlement in the far north-west of New South Wales, Australia, that lies in the Walgett Shire. It is made up of approximately 20 people, with only 10 buildings not including the large family farm of Taroo that takes up a ...

, Rowena,

Burren Junction Burren Junction is a New South Wales village 51 km west of Wee Waa, on the Kamilaroi Highway to Walgett. The name is from the local Aboriginal word for boomerang or 'big creek'. Burren Junction grew from a railway encampment which came fro ...

Cryon Cryon is a parish and hamlet in the north-west of New South Wales, Australia. It lies in the Walgett Shire and is situated from Sydney, west of Narrabri and east of Walgett on the Kamilaroi Highway. The settlement sits at an altitude of abo ...

Cumborah Cumborah is a town in north-western New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Walgett Shire local government area, near the opal fields of Lightning Ridge. Cumborah is about off the Castlereagh Highway and is served by the commercial centr ...

, Glengarry and

Carinda Carinda is a town in the north of New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Walgett Shire local government area. In 2016, the town had a population of 158. The name of the town is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning 'you carry'. His ...

. Come By Chance was established in 1840, before all of the above towns and villages.

Heritage listings

Walgett Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Collarenebri, Gundabloui Road: Collarenebri Aboriginal Cemetery

Demographics

According to 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 ...

during 2003–04 there: * were 1,726 wage and salary earners (ranked 123rd in New South Wales and 393rd in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's 2,558,415 and Australia's 7,831,856) * was a total income of $55 million (ranked 121st in New South Wales and 391st in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's $107 billion and Australia's $304 billion) * was an estimated average income per wage and salary earner of $31,980 (ranked 112th in New South Wales and 376th in Australia, 77% of New South Wales's $41,407 and 82% of Australia's $38,820) * was an estimated median income per wage and salary earner of $29,155 (ranked 119th in New South Wales and 406th in Australia, 82% of New South Wales's $35,479 and 85% of Australia's $34,149).

Council

Between 2004 and 2008, the council was controlled by an

Administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

, Vic Smith, appointed by the New South Wales Minister for Local Government. The previous Walgett Shire Council was split between factions representing Lightning Ridge and the rest of the Shire and apparently became unworkable as a result. In 2004, a public inquiry investigated the dispute, among other things, under the . Other matters investigated included poor administration, failure to properly inform councillors in relation to some matters, apparently illegal walkouts by some Councilors to frustrate votes and, in particular, events surrounding a failed project to build a community centre in Lightning Ridge.

Current composition and election method

Walgett Shire Council is composed of 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 election was held on 22 December 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows: The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:

Election results

2024

References

External links

Walgett Shire Council official website
{{Authority control Local government areas of New South Wales 1906 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1906