Murray Shire was 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

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

region of south western

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. It included the towns of

Moama Moama ( or ) is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. The town is directly across the Murray River from the larger town of Echuca in the neighbouring state of Vi ...

and

Mathoura Mathoura is a small town in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. At the , Mathoura had a population of 938. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word for 'windy' ...

. It was abolished on 12 May 2016 and its area merged with the Wakool Shire to establish the

Murray River Council The Murray River Council is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. This area was formed in 2016 from the merger of Murray Shire with Wakool Shire. The combined area comprises and covers the northern bank ...

. The last

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 ...

of Murray Shire was Cr. Thomas Weyrich, an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

politician.

History

The Murray Shire region was developed in the 1840s by squatters following the route of the overlanders as they drove cattle from

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 ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in the late 1830s. From the 1860s onwards, the selectors, mainly from

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, moved onto the squatter's land, their interest agriculture. The settlements of Moama and Mathoura survived over the years as centres for the movement of agriculture produce and the growth of the timber industry. The area covered by the Shire of Murray today is unique. The

Cadell Fault The Cadell Fault is a north-south trending intra-plate geological fault in the Riverina area of New South Wales and Victoria, in Australia. It straddles the Murray River and, in quite recent geological times, has affected its course, as well as ...

, which changed the course of the Murray River about 30,000 years ago traverses the area from north to south. The

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

system supports one of the largest

River Red Gum ''Eucalyptus camaldulensis'', commonly known as the river red gum, is a tree that is endemic to Australia. It has smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers an ...

forests in the world. A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Murray Shire merge with the Wakool Shire to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately 11,500. On 12 May 2016 the Minister for Local Government announced the dissolution of the Murray and Wakool shires and the formation of the Murray River Council with immediate effect.

Council

Composition and election method

Prior to its dissolution, the Murray Shire Council was 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 were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor was elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent and last election was held on 8 September 2012 and the makeup of the former council was as follows: The former council, elected in 2012 and dissolved in 2016, in order of election, was:

References

Former local government areas of New South Wales 2016 disestablishments in Australia {{Riverina-geo-stub