Shire of Paroo

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Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox Australian place

The Shire of Paroo is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The administrative centre is the town of Cunnamulla. The Paroo Shire covers an area of Template:Convert. In the Template:CensusAU, the Shire of Paroo had a population of 1,679 people.[1]

Geography

The region incorporates the towns of Cunnamulla, Yowah, Eulo and Wyandra, with Cunnamulla being the hub of the Shire and is centrally situated on the crossroads of the Balonne and Mitchell Highways. Cunnamulla, meaning "long stretch of water", gets its name from the Warrego River which flows past the town. The Paroo Shire is bounded by the Open Mitchell Grass Flood Plains in the East to the Yowah opal fields where the Yowah nut is found and the Mulga lands to the West.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Main industries within the Shire are beef, goat, fat lamb, wool, opal mining and tourism. Located in a semi-arid zone, the region has temperatures in summer ranging from 15 degrees to 37 degrees Celsius and winter temperature ranges from 2 to 25 degrees Celsius.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

History

File:Paroo Division, March 1902.jpg
Map of Paroo Division and adjacent local government areas, March 1902

Gunya (Kunya, Kunja, Kurnja) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Gunya people. The Gunya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Paroo Shire Council, taking in Cunnamulla and extending north towards Augathella, east towards Bollon and west towards Thargomindah.[2]

Paroo Division was established on 11 November 1879 as one of the original divisions proclaimed under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 799.[3][4]

On 3 June 1880, the western part of the Paroo Division was separated to create the Bulloo Division.[5]

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Paroo Division became the Shire of Paroo on 31 March 1903.[4][6]

In 1924, a new shire hall was being built, but it was wrecked in a violent dust storm on 5 February.[7] However, they were able to straighten and strengthen the building[8] and it was finally opened on 6 December 1924 by the Minister for Public Instruction, Frank Brennan.[9] In 2018, an inspection revealed the foundations of the building had shifted and the building was unsafe; it was demolished in 2019. In 2020, construction commenced on a new civic centre, which was officially opened on 28 April 2021 by the Queensland Deputy General for Local Government, Natalie Wilde, and Paroo Shire Mayor, Suzette Beresford.[10][11][12]

Towns and localities

The Shire of Paroo includes the following settlements:Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Amenities

File:Paroo Shire Hall and Council Chambers, Cunnamulla, circa 1930.jpg
Paroo Shire Hall and Council Chambers, Cunnamulla, circa 1930
File:Cunnamulla Fella.JPG
The previous Paroo Shire Hall with statue of the Cunnamulla Fella (from the Stan Coster song famously performed by Slim Dusty) in the foreground

The Paroo Shire Council Civic Centre is located on the corner of Stockyard Street and Louise Street in Cunnamulla.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

File:Cunnamulla library operated by the Paroo Shire Council, 2019.jpg
Cunnamulla library, 2019

Paroo Shire Council operates public libraries at Cunnamulla, Wyandra and Yowah.[13]

Demographics

Year Population Notes
1933 3,505 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1947 3,165 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1954 4,143 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1961 4,099 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1966 3,600 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1971 3,310 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1976 3,021 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1981 2,691 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1986 2,733 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1991 2,733 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
1996 2,432 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
2001 2,299 [14]
2006 1,928 [15]
2011 1,857 [16]
2016 1,640 [17]
2021 1,679 [1]

Chairmen and mayors

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  • 1907: William Duncan Rankin [18]
  • 1924: Mr Mackay [19]
  • 1927: John Henry Kerr [20]
  • 1952: Jack Tonkin
  • 1965–1988: Darby Land
  • 2006: Ian Tonkin
  • 2008–2012: Jo Sheppard[21]
  • 2012–2020: Lindsay Godfrey[22][23][24]
  • 2020–present: Suzette Catherine Beresford[25]

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

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External links

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Template:Shire of Paroo Template:Local Government Areas of Queensland

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  1. ↑ a b Template:Census 2021 AUS
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Template:Gazette QLD
  4. ↑ a b Template:Cite QSA Agency
  5. ↑ Template:Gazette QLD
  6. ↑ Template:Cite QSA Agency
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Template:Census 2001 AUS
  15. ↑ Template:Census 2006 AUS
  16. ↑ Template:Census 2011 AUS
  17. ↑ Template:Census 2016 AUS
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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