Western Downs Region
| Western Downs Region Queensland |
|||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Dalby LGA Qld 2008.png
Location within Queensland
|
|||||||||||||||
| Population | 32,831 (2011)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.863088/km2 (2.23539/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 2008 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 38,039 km2 (14,686.9 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Ray Brown | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Maranoa | ||||||||||||||
| Website | Western Downs Region | ||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
The Western Downs Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia. The Council covers an area 38,039 square kilometres (14,687 sq mi), which is approximately the same size as the country of Switzerland, although with a population at the last census of close to 33 000, it is over 235 times less densely populated.
The area is home to prime farming land and thus agriculture is a major industry in the area. Dalby, the biggest town in the region is home to the second largest cattle saleyards in Australia. The Dalby Saleyards process over 200 000 cattle annually in its state of the art facility which is comparable to Rockhampton and Casino.
Contents
History
Western Downs Region was created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007. The new Council, located in the Darling Downs region contains the entire area of five previous local government areas;
as well as Division 2 of Shire of Taroom.
The report recommended that the new local government area should not be divided into wards and elect ten councillors and a mayor. The report estimated that the resident population in 2006 was 30,018 and the operating budget was A$74 million.
Originally called Dalby Regional Council, a name change to Western Downs was approved in August 2009.[2] The name change was greeted positively by residents as they felt the name was more inclusive and a better representation of the area. The name "Western Downs" stems from the phrase Darling Downs, and as the name suggests; the area to the west of the downs.
Towns and localities
The Regional Council covers the towns of:
| Town | Population | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Bell | 544 | 39 km NE of Dalby |
| Brigalow | 404 | 62 km NW of Dalby, 20 km SE of Chinchilla |
| Chinchilla | 5,487 | 82 km NW of Dalby |
| Condamine | 426 | 125 km W of Dalby, 59 km SW of Chinchilla |
| Dalby | 12,299 | 210 km WNW of Brisbane, 82 km SE of Dalby |
| Drillham | 217 | 148 WNW of Dalby, 66 km W of Chinchilla |
| Dulacca | 249 | 170 km WNW of Dalby, 89 km W of Chinchilla |
| Glenmorgan | 385 | 173 km W of Dalby, 138 km SW of Chinchilla |
| Jandowae | 1,246 | 49 km NNW of Dalby, 56 km E of Chinchilla |
| Jimbour | 185 | 26 km N of Dalby, 73 km ESE of Chinchilla |
| Kaimkillenbun | 566 | 24 km NE of Dalby |
| Kogan | 355 | 53 km WNW of Dalby, 46 km SE of Chinchilla |
| Miles | 1854 | 127 km WNW of Dalby, 46 km W of Chinchilla |
| Moonie | 253 | 114 km SW of Dalby, 144 km S of Chinchilla |
| Tara | 2,211 | 89 km W of Dalby, 70 km S of Chinchilla |
| The Gums | 170 | 117 km WSW of Dalby, 96 km SSW of Chinchilla |
| Wandoan | 665 | 196 km NW of Dalby, 115 km NW of Chinchilla |
| Warra | 318 | 46 km NW of Dalby, 36 km SE of Chinchilla |
and the localities of:
Region Representatives
Mayors
Councilors
- Bill McClutcheon (2008-2012)
- Ian Staines (2008-2012)
- Mick Cosgrove (2008-2012)
- George Moore* (2008 - 2016)
- Charlene Hall (2008 - 2016)
- Ray Jamieson* (2008–Present)
- Andrew Smith* (2008–Present)
- Carolyn Tillman* (2008–Present)
- Tony Brame (2012–Present)
- Greg Olm (2012–Present)
- Ian Rasmussen (2012–Present)
*was representative of a region pre-amalgamation
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
