Central Highlands Region 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 State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia.

History

'' Wadja'' (also known as ''Wadjigu'', ''Wadya'', ''Wadjainngo'', ''Mandalgu'', and ''Wadjigun)'' is an

Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coas ...

. The language region includes the local government areas of the

Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda The Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda is a local government area in Central Queensland, Australia. Geography Most local government areas are a single contiguous area (possibly including islands). However, Aboriginal Shires are often defined as a ...

and Central Highlands Region, including the Blackdown Tableland, the

Comet River The Comet River is a river located in Central Queensland, Australia. Geography Formed by the confluence of the Brown River and Clematis Creek, the Comet River rises in the Expedition Range, north of Expedition National Park and south of Roll ...

, and the

Expedition Range Expedition Range is a mountain range within the Central Highlands sandstone region of Queensland, Australia. Robinson Creek cuts a 100 metres deep gorge through sandstone clifflines. Many spectacular side gorges add to the appeal of the area, ...

, and the towns of

Woorabinda Woorabinda is a rural town and locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woorabinda had a population of 962 people. It is an Aboriginal community. Geography Woorabinda is in Central Queensland, inland abo ...

Springsure Springsure is a town and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Emerald, Queensland, Emerald on the Gregory Highway. It is the southern terminus of the Gregory Highwa ...

and

Rolleston Rolleston may refer to: Places * Rolleston, Queensland, Australia * Rolleston, Leicestershire, England * Rolleston, Nottinghamshire, England ** Rolleston railway station * Rolleston on Dove, Staffordshire, England ** Rolleston Hall * Rolleston, ...

. '' Yambina'' (also known as ''Jambina'' and ''Jambeena'') is an Australian Aboriginal language of

. Its traditional language region is the local government area of Central Highlands Region, including Peak Downs, Logan Creek, south to Avon Downs, east to

Denham Range Denham may refer to: People * Denham (surname) * Denham Price (1940–2013), South African cricketer Places ;In the United Kingdom: * Denham, Buckinghamshire ** Denham Aerodrome ** Denham Country Park **Denham Film Studios ** Denham railway ...

and Logan Downs, west to Elgin Downs and at Solferino. '' Yetimarala'' (also known as ''Jetimarala'', ''Yetimaralla'', and ''Bayali'') is an Australian Aboriginal language of

. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of Central Highlands Region, on the

Boomer Range Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. Th ...

and Broadsound Range and the Fitzroy River, Killarney Station, Mackenzie River and Isaac River. The Central Highlands Region was created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007. The new local government area, located in

, contains the entire areas of four previous local government areas: * the

Shire of Bauhinia The Shire of Bauhinia was a local government area in Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia. The Shire, administered from the town of Springsure, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, when it was ...

; * the

Shire of Duaringa The Shire of Duaringa was a local government area in the Capricornia region of Queensland, Australia. Duaringa Shire covered an area of 18,201 square kilometres and had a population of 6,744 according to the . On 15 March 2008 the shires of Du ...

; * the

Shire of Emerald The Shire of Emerald is a former Local government in Australia, local government area in the Central Highlands (Queensland), Central Highlands region of Queensland, Australia. On 15 March 2008 the shires of Shire of Duaringa, Duaringa, Emerald, ...

; and * the

Shire of Peak Downs Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...

. Legislation introduced into the

Queensland Parliament The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

gave the name of the new region as Central Highlands. The report recommended that the new local government area should not be divided into

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 ...

s and should elect eight councillors and a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. The Central Highlands Region has an area of , contained an estimated resident population in 2018 of 28,645 and has an estimated operating budget of A$66 million. On 17 April 2020, the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

re-drew the boundaries of localities within the Region by: * replacing the locality of

The Gemfields The Gemfields is a former locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , The Gemfields had a population of 1,449 people. On 17 April 2020, the Queensland Government re-drew the boundaries of localities within the C ...

with three new localities of Rubyvale,

Sapphire Central Sapphire Central is a rural locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. The town of Sapphire is within the locality (). Sapphires are mined extensively in the area. At the , the locality had a population of 1214 people. Sap ...

and

Anakie Siding Anakie Siding is a rural locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. The town of Anakie is within the locality (). It is a sapphire mining area. In , the locality of Anakie Siding had a population of 155 people. Geograph ...

(around the towns of Rubyvale,

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...

, and Anakie respectively) * adjusting the boundaries of existing localities to accommodate these changes by: **

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

losing its south-eastern corner to become the northern part of the new Rubyvale and the north-eastern part of the new Sapphire Central **

Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

gaining the north-eastern corner and eastern parts of The Gemfields but losing a small area on its western boundary to the new Anakie Siding ** Gindie gaining the south-eastern corner of The Gemfields and gaining the eastern edge of Lochington, but losing a small area of its northern part and a small area from its north-east part to Anakie Siding ** Lochington losing a small portion of land to the north to the new Anakie Siding, losing land from its north-eastern edge mostly to Gindie but gaining a small piece of land from Minerva **

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

losing a small piece of land from its north-western edge of Lochington As a consequence of these changes,

Lake Maraboon The Fairbairn Dam is an earth-filled embankment dam across the Nogoa River, located southwest of in Central Queensland, Australia. Constructed in 1972 for the primary purpose of irrigation, the impoundment created by the dam serves as one of t ...

is now entirely within the north-west of Gindie and the boundary between Lochington and Minerva/Gindie more closely follows the course of the

Nogoa River The Nogoa River is a river located in Central Queensland, Australia. Course and features The river rises on the Carnarvon Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, in the Carnarvon National Park and flows in a generally north easterly direction ...

Towns and localities

The Central Highlands Region includes the following settlements: Bauhinia area: *

Arcadia Valley Arcadia Valley in Missouri is located 80 miles south of St. Louis in the St. Francois Mountains of the Ozark Plateau. The valley includes of the towns of Arcadia, Ironton and Pilot Knob, all founded in the 19th century. Arcadia Valley has be ...

(rural locality) *

Arcturus , - bgcolor="#FFFAFA" , Note (category: variability): , , H and K emission vary. Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Boötes. With an apparent visual magnitude of −0.05, it is the third-brightest of the ...

(rural locality) * Buckland (locality) * Cairdbeign (locality) * Cona Creek (locality) * Consuelo (rural locality) * Coorumbene (rural locality) * Humboldt (rural locality) *

Lowesby Lowesby is a small parish and township situated in the district of Harborough in Leicestershire. It is 8 miles east of the county capital, Leicester, and 90 miles north of London. Geography Lowesby parish is located 500 metres above sea level ...

(rural locality) *

(rural locality) * Mungabunda (rural locality) * Nandowrie (locality) * Orion (village) * Rewan (rural locality) *

(town) *

(town) * Togara (rural locality) * Wealwandangie (rural locality) Duaringa area: *

Bauhinia ''Bauhinia'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Cercidoideae and tribe Bauhinieae, in the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers Gaspard and J ...

(township) * Blackwater (town) *

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

(town) *

Dingo The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (Basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage of dog found in Australia (continent), Australia. Its taxonomic classification is de ...

(town) *

Duaringa Duaringa is a town in the Central Highlands Region and a locality split between the Central Highlands Region and the Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda in Central Queensland, Australia. In the , Duaringa had a population of 262 people. Geography ...

(town) Emerald area: *

Bogantungan Bogantungan is a rural town in the locality of Willows in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. Geography The town is north west of the state capital Brisbane and west of the regional city of Rockhampton. The Central Weste ...

(village) *

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...

(village) *

(town) * Fernlees (village) * Gindie (village) * Lochington (locality) *

Withersfield Withersfield is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. In 2011 its population was 450. It has a public house and a village hall, and centres on the parish church, St. Mary the Virgin. It is in a ...

(village) * Yamala (village) * Anakie (Gemfields town) * Rubyvale (Gemfields town) *

(Gemfields town) *

The Willows The Willows may refer to: Places * The Willows, El Paso, Texas, USA * The Willows, Queensland, a town in Australia * The Willows, Salford, home of Salford Rugby League club in Salford, England, UK * The Willows, Saskatoon, a residential community ...

(sometimes also called Willows Gemfields) Peak Downs area: *

(rural locality)¹ *

Capella Capella is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Auriga. It has the Bayer designation α Aurigae, which is Latinised to Alpha Aurigae and abbreviated Alpha Aur or α Aur. Capella is the sixth-brightest star i ...

(town) *

Crinum ''Crinum'' is a genus of about 180 species of perennial plants that have large showy flowers on leafless stems, and develop from bulbs. They are found in seasonally moist areas, including marshes, swamps, depressions and along the sides of strea ...

(locality) * Theresa Creek (rural locality) *

Tieri Tieri is a small mining town and locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. Established in 1983, the town is a service centre for local coal mines, similar to nearby Middlemount and Dysart, Geography The locality is ...

(town) Notes: ¹ - partially shared with

Isaac Region The Isaac Region is a local government area located in Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007. History Yagalingu is an Australia ...

(former Belyando Shire)

Libraries

The Central Highlands Region operates public libraries at

, Blackwater,

, Rubyvale (

and

Mayors

* 2008 - 2016: Peter John Eric Maguire * 2016 - : Kerry Michael Hayes

References

External links

Central Highlands Regional Council

Central Highlands Regional Council - Local Transition Committee

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Central Highlands Regional Council

Springsure Library
{{Local Government Areas of Queensland Local government areas of Queensland 2008 establishments in Australia