South Burnett Region is a Local Government in the South Burnett

South Burnett

The South Burnett is a peanut growing and wine-producing region on the Great Dividing Range, north of the Darling Downs, in Queensland.-Towns:...

 region of Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, 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...

.

Origins

This Local Government 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 southern catchment of the Burnett River

Burnett River

The Burnett River is a river in central Queensland, Australia that empties into the Pacific Ocean near the city of Bundaberg. The Burnett River region is largely given over to growing sugar cane....

, contains the entire area of four existing Local Government Areas;

• Shire of Kingaroy
  Shire of Kingaroy
  The Shire of Kingaroy was a Local Government Area located in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about northwest of the capital, Brisbane...
  
  ;
• Shire of Nanango
  Shire of Nanango
  The Shire of Nanango was a Local Government Area located in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about northwest of the capital, Brisbane...
  
  ;
• Shire of Murgon
  Shire of Murgon
  The Shire of Murgon was a Local Government Area located in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. 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...
  
  ; and
• Shire of Wondai
  Shire of Wondai
  The Shire of Wondai was a Local Government Area located in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about northwest of the capital, Brisbane...
  
  .

The report recommended the new local government area should not be divided into wards and should elect six councillors and a mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 however the Interim Steering Committee applied to the State Government for four wards based on the old shire boundaries. As the total population is just a few hundred short of the level set in the report for eight councillors and a mayor, application for this was also made.

Area and size

The South Burnett Region covers an area 8399 square kilometres (3,243 sq mi), containing an estimated resident population of 29,734 (2006 figures) and has an estimated operating budget of A$42 m (as at 2008).

The Aboriginal community of Cherbourg

Cherbourg, Queensland

Cherbourg is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is located off the Bunya Highway approximately north-west of Brisbane and from the town of Murgon. It is situated very close to the dam wall of Bjelke-Petersen Dam. Attractions in Cherbourg include the 'Bert Button...

 has been excluded from the amalgamated area and will continue to have its own local government.

Towns and localities

Kingaroy Kingaroy, Queensland Kingaroy is an agricultural town in Queensland, Australia, approximately or about 2½ hours drive north-west of the state capital Brisbane. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways... Benarkin Blackbutt Blackbutt, Queensland Blackbutt is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the D'Aguilar Highway, in the South Burnett Local Government Area, 166 kilometres north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Blackbutt had a population of 572.European settlement... Boondooma Brooklands Bunya Mountains Bunya Mountains The Bunya Mountains are a distinctive set of peaks forming an isolated section of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland. The mountain range forms the northern edge of the Darling Downs near Bell and Dalby. The mountains are south of Kingaroy and just to the south west of Nanango... Cloyna Coolabunia Durong Ficks Crossing Goodger Hivesville Hivesville, Queensland Hivesville is a small town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the Proston-Wondai road, north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Hivesville and the surrounding area had a population of 310.... Inverlaw Kumbia Kumbia, Queensland Kumbia is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the South Burnett Region and on the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Kumbia had a population of 191.-References:...

Maidenwell Memerambi Memerambi, Queensland Memerambi is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The name 'Memerambi' is an Aboriginal word for Sugargum tree. The town is located in the South Burnett Region Local government area and on the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census,... Moffatdale Mondure Murgon Murgon, Queensland Murgon is a town in Queensland, Australia. It is situated on the Bunya Highway 270 kilometres north-west of the state capital, Brisbane.Murgon is in the region of Queensland known as the South Burnett, the southern part of the Burnett River catchment... Nanango Nanango, Queensland Nanango is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is the fourth oldest town in Queensland. At the 2006 census, Nanango had a population of 3,083. It is situated north-west of the state capital, Brisbane... Proston Proston, Queensland Proston is a small town in the south east of the Australian state of Queensland. The town is located 280 kilometres north west of the state capital, Brisbane and 50 km northwest of the South Burnett regions commercial centre, Kingaroy... Taabinga Tingoora Tingoora, Queensland Tingoora is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The town is in the South Burnett Region LGA and on the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Tingoora had a population of 175.... Wheatlands Windera Wondai Wondai, Queensland Wondai is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located to the south of the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Wondai had a population of 1,402... Wooroolin Wooroolin, Queensland Wooroolin is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The town is in the South Burnett Region LGA and on the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Wooroolin had a population of 164... Wooroonden

First Mayor and Councillors

As at 15 March 2008, the first Mayor elected to the South Burnett Region is David Ian Carter

The first Councillors elected to the South Burnett Region were as follows:

• Division 1 GREEN, Barry
• Division 2 PALMER, Debra
• Division 3 TESSMANN, Damien
• Division 4 CAMPBELL, Keith
• Division 5 DUFF, Kathy
• Division 6 DALTON, Cheryl

External links

• South Burnett Regional Council
• Interactive Map of the South Burnett Region (Electoral Commission Queensland web site) Retrieved 18 April 2008