Barraba Shire was a Local Government Area located in the New England

New England (Australia)

New England or New England North West is the name given to a generally undefined region about 60 kilometres inland, that includes the Northern Tablelands and the North West Slopes regions in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:The region has been occupied by Indigenous...

 region of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, about 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) north of Tamworth

Tamworth, New South Wales

Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...

 via Fossickers Way

Fossickers Way

Fossickers Way runs from Nundle in the south to Warialda and eastwards on the Gwydir Highway to Inverell and Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands. It is designated as State Route 95....

. The Shire, administered from the town of Barraba

Barraba, New South Wales

Barraba is a town in the New England region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Barraba Shire Local Government Area, but most of this, including Barraba, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. On Census night 2006, Barraba had a population of 1,161...

 covered an area of 3068.7 square kilometres (1,184.8 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1906 until 2004, when it was split between two new LGAs, Gwydir Shire

Gwydir Shire

Gwydir Shire is a Local Government Area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia along the state's border with Queensland...

 and Tamworth Regional Council

Tamworth Regional Council

Tamworth Regional Council is a Local Government Area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the New England Highway and the Main North railway line.- Incomes :According to the during 2003-04, there:...

.

History

In 1897, a progress association was brought into being by local residents to advocate for the area and to manage infrastructure. With the passage of the Local Government Act 1906, which established shires all over New South Wales, the Barraba Shire was gazetted on 6 March 1906. As the town met the requirements for municipality status, it was separately gazetted as the Barraba Municipality on 23 March 1906. S. J. Lillis was elected the municipality's first mayor, while John Morrow became the first Barraba Shire president.

On 1 November 1953, the Barraba Municipality was abolished and the town came under the Shire's authority.

On 17 March 2004, Barraba Shire was abolished. 1259.1 square kilometres (486.1 sq mi) (41%) of its area and 340 people in the Shire's north were transferred to the new Gwydir Shire

Gwydir Shire

Gwydir Shire is a Local Government Area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia along the state's border with Queensland...

, composed otherwise of the former Yallaroi

Yallaroi Shire

Yallaroi Shire was a Local Government Area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia, about south of Goondiwindi via Fossickers Way...

 and Bingara

Bingara Shire

Bingara Shire was a Local Government Area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Tamworth via Fossickers Way...

 Shires. The rest, including the town of Barraba

Barraba, New South Wales

Barraba is a town in the New England region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Barraba Shire Local Government Area, but most of this, including Barraba, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. On Census night 2006, Barraba had a population of 1,161...

, was transferred to the new Tamworth Regional Council

Tamworth Regional Council

Tamworth Regional Council is a Local Government Area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the New England Highway and the Main North railway line.- Incomes :According to the during 2003-04, there:...

, formed from the former City of Tamworth and the Shires of Manilla, Nundle and most of Parry.

Towns

• Barraba
  Barraba, New South Wales
  Barraba is a town in the New England region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Barraba Shire Local Government Area, but most of this, including Barraba, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. On Census night 2006, Barraba had a population of 1,161...
  
  
• Banoon
• Cobbadah †
• Gulf Creek †
• Gundamulda †
• Ironbark
• Lindesay †
• Longarm
• Mayvale
• Red Hill
• Upper Horton †
• Woodsreef

† Transferred to Gwydir upon abolition.

Population

Year	Population
1933	3,550
1947	3,088
1954	3,234
1961	2,952
1966	2,815
1971	3,035
1976	3,246
1981	2,933
1986	2,687
1991	2,467
1996	2,264
2001	2,136