The Shire of Taroom 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 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 ...

, along the

Leichhardt Highway The Leichhardt Highway is a major transport route in Queensland, Australia. It is a continuation northward from Goondiwindi of the Newell Highway, via a section of the Cunningham Highway. It runs northward from Goondiwindi for more than 600 ki ...

to the north of

Miles The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government area from 1879 until 2008, when it was dissolved and split between the new Western Downs Region and the

Shire of Banana The Shire of Banana is a local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone. The shire was named after the first township in the region (Banana), which in turn was named ...

. The shire contained several national parks with eroded sandstone areas, as well as Isla Gorge.

History

Tourist information for the Shire of Taroom, 2014

Taroom Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' with a population of 1015. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Taroom Division became the Shire of Taroom on 31 March 1903. War memorial, Taroom, 2014

The Taroom War Memorial commemorates residents of

Taroom Shire The Shire of Taroom was a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, along the Leichhardt Highway to the north of Miles, Queensland, Miles. The shire covered an area of , and existe ...

who served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. It is located at the Ludwig Leichhardt Park in Yaldwyn Street and was dedicated in about 1973. Banana Shire Council offices, Taroom, 2014

The Taroom Shire Council Chambers were located at 18 Yaldwyn Street, now used as the Taroom administration office of the

Banana Shire Council The Shire of Banana is a local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone. The shire was named after the first township in the region (Banana), which in turn was named f ...

The Taroom Town Hall was built in 2004, immediately next door to the shire council chambers. It was intended to serve as a civic and recreational centre for the town and has a main auditorium that seats 300 people, a commercial kitchen, and a bar. The hall was awarded a regional commendation by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 2004. 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 Taroom was dissolved. Division 1 of the shire, centred on the town 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 ...

, was merged into the

. The remainder of the Shire of Taroom, centred on the town of Wandoan was merged with the

Town of Dalby The Town of Dalby was a local government area of Queensland, Australia which managed the affairs of Dalby. It was located north-west of Toowoomba. It was amalgamated into the Western Downs Region in 2008. History Following a petition of resid ...

and the shires 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 ...

, Murilla, Tara and Wambo to create the new Dalby Region, renamed Western Downs Region on 29 June 2009. In doing so, Taroom became one of the only three former shires in Queensland not to stay intact, alongside the shires of Tiaro and Beaudesert. On 29 September 2018, Taroom & District Historical Society Inc and Taroom RSL Sub Branch worked together to preserve the 1973 War Memorial by moving it from Leichhardt Park to the Taroom Museum at 17 Kelman Street, Taroom (on the original site of the Taroom State School 1871-1956).

Towns and localities

The Shire of Taroom included the following settlements: Division 1 (now part of the

): *

* Ghinghinda * Glenhaughton * Gwambegwine Division 2 (now part of the Western Downs Region): * Grosmont * Guluguba * Wandoan

Population

Chairmen and mayors

This is a list of chairmen and mayors of Taroom Shire Council: * 1880-????: Charles James Royds *1898-1902 George Cartwright Langhorne *1902-1914: Alfred Ernest Devine *1914-1918: William John Ashton *1918-1943 John Mundell *1943-1944 Barney Carr Clark *1944-1945 Alfred William Henry Villiers (administrator) *1945-1946: Barney Carr Clark *1946-1954: Richard (Dick) Rigby *1954-1955: J.R. Knack *1955-1957: Henry G. Weldon *1957-1964: Donald Stuart Scott *1964-1979: Gustav Arthur Stiller *1979-1994: William Harold Copeland *1994-1997: Colin Jame Kehl * 1997–2008: Donald Frank (Don) Stiller

References

External links

* — archived official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Taroom Shire Former local government areas of Queensland Darling Downs 2008 disestablishments in Australia Populated places disestablished in 2008 1879 establishments in Australia