The Shire of Chinchilla 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

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...

region of

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 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, administered from the town of

Chinchilla Chinchillas are either of two species (''Chinchilla chinchilla'' and ''Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha. They are slightly larger and more robust than ground squirrels, and are native to the Andes mount ...

, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the Town of Dalby and the Shires of Murilla, Tara and Wambo and the southern part of

Taroom Taroom is a town in the Shire of Banana and locality split between the Shire of Banana and the Western Downs Region in Queensland, Australia. At the , Taroom had a population of 869 people. Geography The town is located on the Dawson River ...

to form the

Western Downs Region Western Downs Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia. The Western Downs Regional Council manages an area of , which is slightly smaller than Switzerland, although with a population of 34,467 in June 2018, it is over 228 ti ...

. The economy of the area is largely reliant on primary production.

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

is the mainstay of the community, with beef and pork production, wool growing, and horticulture traditionally underwriting the local economy.

History

The Shire of Chinchilla was established on 12 January 1912 by severance from the Shire of Wambo. On 15 March 2008, under the ''Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007'' passed by the

Parliament of Queensland 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 ...

on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Chinchilla merged with the Town of Dalby and the Shires of Murilla, Tara and Wambo and the southern part of

to form the

Towns and localities

The Shire of Chinchilla included the following settlements: Towns: *

Brigalow ''Acacia harpophylla'', commonly known as brigalow, brigalow spearwood or orkor, is an endemic tree of Australia. The Aboriginal Australian group the Gamilaraay peoples know the tree as Barranbaa or Burrii. It is found in central and coast ...

Kogan Kogan (russian: Ко́ган) is a Russian spelling variant of the Jewish surname Cohen. * Aleksandr Kogan — several people * Artur Kogan (born 1974), Israeli chess master * Belle Kogan (1902–2000), American industrial designer * Boris Kog ...

Localities: *

Barakula ''Barakula petersonorum'' is a species of beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most oth ...

* Boonarga *

* Burncluith * Burra Burri * Canaga * Goombi * Hopeland *

Pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...

* Rywung * Wychie

Chairmen and Mayors

Population

References

External links

Queensland Places: Chinchilla Shire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinchilla Shire Former local government areas of Queensland Darling Downs 2008 disestablishments in Australia Populated places disestablished in 2008