Eurobodalla Shire 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 ...

located in the

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

region of New South Wales,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The Shire is located in a largely mountainous coastal region and situated adjacent to the '' Tasman Sea'', the

Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...

and the Kings Highway. The Mayor of Eurobodalla Shire Council is Cr. Mathew Hatcher, an unaligned politician. He is also the youngest mayor, in the modern-era, ever for the Eurobodalla. The Deputy Mayor, Cllr Alison Worthington, is the first female Deputy Mayor for the Eurobodalla.

Towns and localities

The shire chambers are located in the town of Moruya in the central part of the Shire. Other major towns within the shire include Batemans Bay and

Narooma Narooma is a town in the Australian state of New South Wales on the far south coast. The town is on the Princes Highway, which crosses the Wagonga Inlet to North Narooma. The heritage town of Central Tilba is nearby to the south. The name Naro ...

. Smaller towns, suburbs and hamlets include:

History

The area which is now Eurobodalla Shire was originally the home of the South Coast Bugelli-Manji and Yuin

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

peoples. The council signed a Commitment to Indigenous Australians and a Local Agreement with the Aboriginal Community. The Eurobodalla Shire Council was formed in 1913 with the responsibility for administering local government functions along of the NSW coast between Durras and Wallaga Lake. The council administers only about 30% of the area of the Shire as the remaining 70% is non-rateable

crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

held as national park and state forest: 40% of the shire is national park, 30% is state forest, 20% is productive farmland and 10% is urban settlement. The Shire is unusual in that nearly half of ratepayers are non-residents. Just over 17% of ratepayers are residents of

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. Although the permanent population is around 34,100, the visiting population (who stay more than 3 nights) is 3.1 million per year.

Heritage listings

The Eurobodalla Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Bergalia, Lakeview Homestead Complex * Montague Island, Montague Island Light * Moruya, Moruya and District Historical Society 85 Campbell Street: Abernethy and Co Stonemason's Lathe * Moruya, 13 Page Street:

Moruya Mechanics' Institute The Moruya Mechanics' Institute is a Heritage register, heritage-listed mechanics' institute located at 13 Page Street, Moruya, New South Wales, Moruya in the Eurobodalla Shire local government are of New South Wales, Australia. It was added to ...

Economy

The main growth industries in the area are construction, government services, real estate, retail, retirement, aged care, tourism, while dairy farming, forestry, sawmilling and commercial fishing are traditional industries in decline. Eurobodalla Shire is serviced by two highways – the Princes Highway between

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and Melbourne (part of Highway One around Australia), and the Kings Highway (National Route 52) linking Batemans Bay to Canberra. Moruya Airport, just east of the township of Moruya, is serviced by regular scheduled commuter flights to Sydney and Melbourne. There are no railways or major seaports in Eurobodalla Shire.

Census 2021 statistics

Demographics

In the , the Local Government Area of Eurobodalla recorded a population of 40,593 people. The area of 3,428 square kilometre gives a population density 11.8 people per square kilometre.

Age distribution

*Median age: 54, compared to the national median on 38. *Children aged under 15 years: 13.9%. *People aged 65 years and over: 32.9%.

Nation of birth

* Australia – 77.9%, compared to the national average of 66.9% * England – 4.8% * New Zealand – 1.3% * Germany – 0.7% * Scotland – 0.6% * Netherlands – 0.5% * Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders: 6.1%

Languages spoken at home

* English only – 88.5% * German – 0.3% * Italian – 0.3% * Croatian – 0.2% * Spanish – 0.2% * Greek – 0.2%

Religion

* No Religion – 41.9% * Catholic – 18.9% * Anglican – 17.3% * Uniting Church – 2.5%

Housing

*Median weekly rent: $325 *Median monthly home loan repayments: $1,517 *Median weekly individual income: $618 *Median weekly household income: $1,167

Household motor vehicle ownership

*No vehicle – 4.3% *One vehicle – 38.3% *Two vehicles – 37.7% *Three or more vehicles – 17.9%

Housing tenure

* Owned outright – 49.3% * Owned with a mortgage – 23.8% * Rented – 22.5%

Structure of inhabited dwellings

* Separate houses – 83.6% * Semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc. – 8.3% * Flats, units or apartments – 5.9% * Other dwellings – 1.9%

Employment

* Worked full-time – 47.6% * Worked part-time – 40.4% * Away from work – 7.9% * Unemployed – 4.1%

Council

Current composition and election method

Eurobodalla Shire Council is composed of nine councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is directly elected while the eight other councillors are elected proportionally as one entire ward. The most recent election was held on 25 October 2021, and the makeup of the council, including the mayor, is as follows: The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:

References

External links

Eurobodalla population planning link

Eurobodalla Ratepayers Association
{{Coord, 35, 55, S, 150, 06, E, region:AU-NSW, display=title Local government areas of the South Coast (New South Wales)