The Whitsunday 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, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

located in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

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. Established in 2008, it was preceded by two previous local government areas with a history extending back to the establishment of regional local government in Queensland in 1879. It has an estimated operating budget of A$48.8m.

History

Prior to 2008, the new Whitsunday Region was an entire area of two previous and distinct local government areas: * the

Shire of Bowen The Shire of Bowen was a local government area in the North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Bowen, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, when it ...

; * and the

Shire of Whitsunday The Shire of Whitsunday was a local government area located in the North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Proserpine, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1910 ...

. The Bowen Municipality was constituted on 7 August 1863 under the ''Municipalities Act 1858'' (a piece of New South Wales legislation inherited by Queensland at its separation four years earlier). On 11 November 1879, the Wangaratta Division was created as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879''. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Wangaratta became a shire and Bowen became a town on 31 March 1903. On 19 January 1910, the Shire of Proserpine was excised from Wangaratta. It was renamed on 18 February 1989. On 2 April 1960, the Town of Bowen was abolished, and merged into the Shire of Wangaratta, which was renamed Bowen. In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that the two areas amalgamate. Both councils and residents across the board opposed amalgamation, although amalgamation with each other was the preferred option of each if forced to choose. On 15 March 2008, the Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council. In 2012, a petition signed by over 1600 people requested that the Whitsunday Region be de-amalgamated. Although the number of signatories was sufficiently large, the Queensland Government refused the request for a de-amalgamation vote arguing that the financial modelling did not show that deamalgamation would be financially viable. In March 2017, many areas of the Whitsunday Region were damaged by

Cyclone Debbie Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Queensland since Marcia in 2015, and was the costliest tropical cyclone in Australia since Yasi in 2011. Forming as a tropical low on 23 March, the low gradu ...

. The Proserpine Council Chambers was extensively damaged.

Cyclone Debbie recovery

A new $6 million council administration building will be constructed in Proserpine during late 2018/2019, after this facility is completed workers that are temporarily being housed in Cannonvale will re-locate back to Proserpine. This will be a major new building that will also include a new disaster hub and resilience center.

Wards

The council is split into six divisions, each returning one councillor, plus a mayor.

Towns and localities

The Whitsunday Region includes the following settlements: Bowen area: * Bowen * Collinsville * Binbee * Bogie * Brisk Bay * Gumlu * Guthalungra * Inveroona * Merinda * Mount Coolon * Mount Wyatt * Newlands * Queens Beach * Scottville * Springlands Whitsunday area: * Proserpine *

Airlie Beach Airlie Beach is a coastal locality in the Whitsunday Region of Queensland, Australia. In the , Airlie Beach had a population of 1,208 people. Geography Airlie Beach is one of many departure points for the Great Barrier Reef. Cruise ships vi ...

Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache (; grc, Ἀνδρομάχη, ) was the wife of Hector, daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled. The name means 'man battler' o ...

* Brandy Creek * Breadalbane * Cannon Valley * Cannonvale * Cape Conway * Cape Gloucester * Conway * Conway Beach * Crystal Brook *

Daydream Island Daydream Island is one of seven islands of the Molle Group, a sub-group of the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland, Australia. The island is small, measuring 1 km in length and 400 m at its widest point. The highest point on the island i ...

* Dingo Beach * Dittmer * Flametree *

Foxdale Foxdale (; glv, Forsdal ; on, Fors-dal – 'waterfall dale or valley') consisting of the districts of Upper and Lower Foxdale on the A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road with the junction of the A24 Foxdale to Braaid road and the A40 ''The Hope'' road ...

* Glen Isla * Gloucester Island * Goorganga Creek * Goorganga Plains * Gregory River * Gunyarra * Hamilton Island * Hamilton Plains *

Hayman Island Hayman Island is the most northerly of the Whitsunday Islands, off the coast of Central Queensland in the locality of Whitsundays in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. The island is . It is a private island open to the public, most ...

* Hideaway Bay * Jubilee Pocket * Kelsey Creek * Laguna Quays * Lake Proserpine * Lethebrook *

Mandalay Mandalay ( or ; ) is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. Located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631km (392 miles) (Road Distance) north of Yangon, the city has a population of 1,225,553 (2014 census). Mandalay was fou ...

* Mount Julian * Mount Marlow * Mount Pluto * Mount Rooper * Myrtlevale * Palm Grove * Pauls Pocket *

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

* Riordanvale * Shute Harbour * Silver Creek * Strathdickie *

Sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, a r ...

* Thoopara * Wilson Beach * Woodwark

Libraries

The

Whitsunday Regional Council The Whitsunday Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by two previous local government areas with a history extending back to the establishment of regional local government ...

operate public libraries at Bowen, Cannonvale, Collinsville, and Proserpine.

Population

List of mayors

* 2008–2012: Mike Brunker * 2012–2016: Jennifer Whitney * 2016–2022: Andrew John Willcox

References

{{coord, 20, 00, 44, S, 148, 13, 23, E, type:adm2nd_region:AU-QLD, display=title North Queensland Local government areas of Queensland 2008 establishments in Australia