The Shire of Tiaro was a local government area in the

Wide Bay–Burnett Wide Bay–Burnett is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, located between north of the state capital, Brisbane. The area's population growth has exceeded the state average over the past 20 years, and it is forecast to grow to more ...

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 , establishe ...

, Australia, between the regional cities of

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River, which floods Gympie occasionally. The ...

and

Hervey Bay Hervey Bay () is a city on the coast of the Fraser Coast Region of Queensland, Australia. The city is situated approximately or 3½ hours' highway drive north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is located on the bay of the same name open to ...

about north of the state capital,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

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

Gympie Region The Gympie Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay and centred on the town of Gympie. It was create ...

and the

Fraser Coast Region The Fraser Coast Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is centred on the twin cities of Hervey Bay and Maryborough and also contains Fraser ...

. The name "Tiaro" is of Aboriginal origin, meaning withered or dead tree. 43 per cent of the Shire was covered by State forest. The main industries in the shire were sugar, beef and dairy cattle, orchards and timber felling and milling.

History

Tiaro Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of the initial 74 divisions around Queensland under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' with a population of 1852. On 9 February 1884, following a petition by the ratepayers of subdivisions Nos. 2 and 3 of Tiaro Division, part of Tiaro Division was excised to establish a separate municipality called the Shire of Tiaro. The Tiaro Divisional Board were opposed to the creation of the shire, and had attempted various legal actions to prevent it. The new shire started life in an immediate dispute with the division over the apportionment of the accounts. One of the early actions of the Shire Council was to commission the construction of a shire hall, which many of their ratepayers saw as an unnecessary expense. By April 1886, the ratepayers were petitioning to abolish the Shire. As a result, on 16 December 1886, the shire was abolished and the territory returned to authority of the Tiaro Division. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Tiaro Division became Shire of Tiaro on 31 March 1903. On 17 February 1917, as part of a restructuring of local government in the Wide Bay–Burnett area, the Shire of Tiaro absorbed the

Shire of Tinana The Shire of Tinana is a former local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett area of Queensland, Australia. It is centred on Tinana, on the southern bank of the Mary River, with the Borough of Maryborough A borough is an administrative d ...

and part of the

Shire of Granville The Shire of Granville is a former local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett area of Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivis ...

which had governed areas to the north and east of Tiaro since the 1880s. On 15 March 2008, under the ''Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007'' passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Tiaro was dissolved. Division 3 of the Shire, located generally south of Blowers Road, Wards Road and Ularrah Creek and including the towns of

Theebine Theebine is a small town and locality split between the Gympie Region and the Fraser Coast Region, both in Queensland, Australia. Geography The town is located north of the Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. Most of the locality and the t ...

Curra Curra is a rural residential Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Curra had a population of 1,920 people. Geography Curra is in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland. It als ...

and

Gunalda Gunalda is a rural town in the Gympie Region and a locality split between Gympie Region and Fraser Coast Region in Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Gunalda had a population of 392 people. Geography The town is from the state c ...

, became part of the new

together with the Shires of Cooloola and Kilkivan. The other two divisions amalgamated with Woocoo and the Cities of

and Maryborough to create

. In doing so, Tiaro became one of the only three former shires in Queensland not to stay intact, alongside

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 ...

and Beaudesert.

Economy

The Shire of Tiaro was home to the Bauple Sugar Mill, which operated from 1886 until 1951, and was also home to a butter and cheese factory and several juice mills.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Tiaro included the following settlements: Division 1 *

Tiaro Tiaro is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Tiaro had a population of 758 people. Geography The town is on the Mary River. It is situated on the Bruce Highway south of Mar ...

* Antigua * Blackmount * Pioneers Rest * St Mary *

Thinoomba Thinoomba is a rural locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_ ...

Division 2 * Bauple * Bauple Forest * Glenbar * Glenwood * Gootchie * Gundiah * Kanigan * Mount Urah *

Munna Creek Munna Creek is a locality split between the Fraser Coast Region and the Gympie Region, in Queensland, Australia. In the , Munna Creek had a population of 23 people. Geography The western boundary of the locality is the Munna Creek watercourse, ...

* Netherby * Paterson * Talegalla Weir *

Tin Can Bay Tin Can Bay is a coastal town and locality in the Wide Bay–Burnett region in Queensland, Australia. The locality is split between the Fraser Coast Region (the northern part of the locality) and the Gympie Region (southern part of the locality) ...

¹ * Tinnanbar Division 3 * Anderleigh *

* Glen Echo *

* Miva * Neerdie * Scotchy Pocket *

¹ - split with

Chairmen

* 1927: Andrew Thompson

Population

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiaro Shire Former local government areas of Queensland 1879 establishments in Australia 2008 disestablishments in Australia Populated places disestablished in 2008