Western Downs Region 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 ...

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 Western Downs Regional Council manages an area of , which is slightly smaller than

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, although with a population of 34,467 in June 2018, it is over 228 times less densely populated. The area is home to prime farming land and thus agriculture is a major industry in the area. Dalby, the biggest town in the region is home to the second largest cattle saleyards in

. The Dalby Saleyards process over 200,000 cattle annually in its facility which is comparable to

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

and

Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

. The Western Downs Regional Council's Corporate Office is situated at 30 Marble Street, Dalby.

History

Baranggum (also known as Barrunggam, Barunggam Parrungoom, Murrumgama) is an

Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

spoken by the Baranggum people. The Baranggum language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Western Downs Regional Council, particularly Dalby, Tara,

Jandowae Jandowae is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Jandowae had a population of 1,047 people. Geography The town is west of the Brisbane. the capital of the state of Queensland. ...

and west towards

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 ...

. Western Downs Region was created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007. Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the new Region, located 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, consisted the entire area of five previous local government areas: * the Town of Dalby; * the Shire of Chinchilla; * the

Shire of Murilla The Shire of Murilla was a local government area located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Miles, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, ...

; * the Shire of Tara; * the Shire of Wambo; * and Division 2 of the

Shire of Taroom 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 ...

. The report recommended that the new local government area should not be divided into

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 ...

s and elect ten councillors and a

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 ...

. The report estimated that the resident population in 2006 was 30,018 and the operating budget was A$74 million. Originally called Dalby Region, a name change to Western Downs was approved in August 2009. The name change was greeted positively by residents as they felt the name was more inclusive and a better representation of the area. The name "Western Downs" stems from the phrase Darling Downs, and as the name suggests; the area to the west of the downs.

Towns and localities

The Western Downs Region includes the following settlements: Dalby area: * Dalby (town) Chichilla area: * Boonarga *

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 ...

(town) * Canaga * Chances Plain *

(town) *

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

* Goombi * Hopeland *

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 ...

(town) * Rywung * Wychie Murilla area: * Columboola * Condamine (town) * Dalwogon * Drillham (town) * Dulacca (town) * Gurulmundi * Kowguran * Miles (town) * Barramornie * Bogandilla * Drillham South * Glenaubyn * Hookswood * Moraby * Myall Park * Nangram * Pine Hills * Sunnyside * Yulabilla Tara area: * Flinton *

Glenmorgan Glenmorgan is a rural town in the Western Downs Region and a locality split between the Western Downs Region and the Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Glenmorgan had a population of 148 people. Geography The Town i ...

(town) * Goranba * Hannaford * Inglestone *

Meandarra Meandarra is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Meandarra had a population of 262 people. Geography The town is located on Brigalow Creek, west of the state capital, Brisban ...

* Moonie (town) * Tara (town) * The Gums (town) * Weranga * Westmar Wambo area: *

Bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

(town) * Burra Burri * Cooranga * Ducklo * Irvingdale *

(town) * Jimbour (town) * Jimbour East * Jimbour West * Kaimkillenbun (town) * Kumbarilla *

Macalister Macalister, MacAlister, MacAllister and their variants are forms of a Gaelic surname which means 'son of Alisdair'. The name originated in Scotland and belonged to a branch of the Clan Donald; they became an independent clan in 1493. From about the ...

* Mowbullan * Nandi * Pirrinuan * Roche Creek * St Ruth * Tuckerang * Warra (town) South Taroom area: * Eurombah¹ * Grosmont * Guluguba *

Wandoan Wandoan is a town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It was formerly known as Juandah. It is on the Leichhardt Highway about halfway between Taroom and Miles and is the centre for the local cattle industry. In the ...

(town) ¹ - shared with 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 ...

Libraries

The Western Downs Regional Council operates public libraries at

, Dalby,

, Miles, Moonie, Tara, and

Population

* ^* - shared with the

Mayors and councillors

Mayors

* 2008 - 2016 : Ray Brown * * 2016–present : Paul McVeigh

Councillors

2016

The councillors elected in 2016 were: * Andrew Smith* (2008–Present) * Carolyn Tillman* (2008–Present) * Greg Olm (2012–Present) * Ian Rasmussen (2012–Present) * Peter Saxelby (2016–Present) * Kaye Maguire (2016–Present) * Donna Ashurst (2016–Present) *''was representative of a region pre-amalgamation''

References

External links

Western Downs Regional Council

Advance Western Downs
{{coord, 27, 11, 3, S, 151, 15, 52, E, type:adm2nd_region:AU-QLD, display=title Local government areas of Queensland Darling Downs 2008 establishments in Australia