The Municipality of Kiama 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 ...

in the

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

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 area is situated south of

Shellharbour Shellharbour (also known as Shellharbour Village) is a suburb located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the local government area, City of Shellharbour, and its central business district, Shellhar ...

and the

City of Wollongong The City of Wollongong is a local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated adjacent to the Tasman Sea, the Princes Motorway and the Illawarra railway line. Located south of Sydney central busi ...

and is located adjacent to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, 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 South Coast railway line.

Towns and localities

The Municipality of Kiama contains the following towns and localities: *

Kiama Kiama () is a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney in the Illawarra. One of the main tourist attractions is the Kiama Blowhole. Kiama features several popular surfing beaches and caravan parks, and numerous alfresco cafes and restaurants ...

Bombo Bombo may refer to: Music * ''Bombo'' (musical), a 1921 Broadway production starring Al Jolson * "Bombo" (song), by Norwegian singer Adelén *Bombo criollo or just bombo, a family of Latin American drums *Bombo legüero, an Argentine drum *An 18th ...

Kiama Downs Kiama Downs is a suburb of the town Kiama in the Illawarra region south of Sydney, Australia. Renowned for its picturesque beaches and seaside views, it is about north of Kiama and is bordered by the Minnamurra River to the northwest and Jones ...

** Kiama Heights **

Minnamurra Minnamurra is a suburb in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Municipality of Kiama. It has a station (opened 1891) on City Rail South Coast line. The Minnamurra River flows into the ocean at Minnamurra. There is a sa ...

Barren Grounds The Barren Grounds (also called Barren Lands) are a large area of tundra located in mainland Nunavut and stretching into the Northwest Territories in northern Canada. The Barren Grounds is nearly uninhabited, with the exception of a few coastal ...

(part) *

Brogers Creek Brogers Creek is a locality in the Illawarra region of New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , ...

(part) * Broughton Village (part) * Budderoo *

Carrington Falls The Carrington Falls is a plunge waterfall across the Kangaroo River located in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features The falls are situated where the river crosses the western escarpment of the B ...

* Curramore * Foxground *

Gerringong Gerringong () is a town located about ten minutes drive south of Kiama, and about twenty minutes north of Nowra in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. At the , Gerringong had a population of 3,966. O ...

Gerroa Gerroa is a coastal town in the Municipality of Kiama, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia 133 kilometres south of Sydney. It is considered to be the southernmost town in the Illawarra region. Nearby towns are Gerringon ...

Jamberoo Jamberoo is a village on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. It is approximately 11.3 km inland from Kiama. At the , Jamberoo had a population of 1,667. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal ...

* Jerrara * Knights Hill * Rose Valley * Saddleback Mountain *

Toolijooa Toolijooa is a small village in the Municipality of Kiama, Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia. Transport It lies on the South Coast railway line, and once had a railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a mea ...

Upper Kangaroo Valley Upper Kangaroo River is a small village in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Shoalhaven City Council. It is located on the Kangaroo River, a tributary of the Shoalhaven River. At the , it had a population of 151. Upper ...

(part) * Werri Beach * Willow Vale

Municipal history

The municipality of Kiama was created in 1859. There were three wards: Kiama, Gerringong and Jamberoo. The first council comprised James Colley, John Sharpe and Joseph Pike (representing the Kiama Ward); John Hukins, John Colley and John Hanrahan (representing the Jamberoo Ward); and Joseph Blow, Robert Miller and James Robinson (representing the Gerringong Ward). The first mayor of Kiama was James Colley. In 1871, Gerringong separated from the Kiama municipality and Jamberoo in 1892. In 1954, the Gerringong, Jamberoo and Kiama municipalities were amalgamated forming today's current municipal boundaries. Kiama has had three female mayors: Ruth Devenney (1991 until 1992), Joyce Wheatley (1992 until 2000) and Sandra McCarthy (2000 until 2012). A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Municipality of Kiama merge with the

City of Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses t ...

to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately . The Kiama community along with the Shoalhaven community actively campaigned against any forced council amalgamation between the two councils. Kiama council held a non-compulsory poll on 7 May 2016 to grasp community attitudes to the proposal. The results of the poll concluded that 95% of the community supported remaining an independent council, with a 49.9% turnout. On 12 May 2016, the NSW State Government determined not to amalgamate Kiama and Shoalhaven council areas.

Demographics

At the the total population of the Municipality was 21,464 people. The median age of the community was 47 years. Almost 21% of the population was born outside of Australia, predominantly migration from North-West Europe. The

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

population is 2% of the total community population. English was spoken as a first language by 90% of the population. The top response for language other than English spoken was

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Council

Current composition and election method

The council of the municipality of Kiama is composed of nine

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s elected proportionally as a single

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 ...

. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021 and the makeup of the council is as follows:https://pastvtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/LG2101/kiama/results The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:

References

External links

Kiama Municipal Council Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Council of the Municipality of Kiama

1859 establishments in Australia