The Murray River Council 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 ...

in the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

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 ...

. This area was formed in 2016 from the merger of

Murray Shire Murray Shire was a local government area in the Riverina region of south western New South Wales, Australia. It included the towns of Moama and Mathoura. It was abolished on 12 May 2016 and its area merged with the Wakool Shire to establish t ...

with Wakool Shire. The combined area comprises and covers the northern bank of the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

and hinterland from

Moama Moama ( or ) is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. The town is directly across the Murray River from the larger town of Echuca in the neighbouring state ...

downstream to

Tooleybuc Tooleybuc is a town in the western Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on the Mallee Highway, southwest of the state capital, Sydney and north west of Melbourne. Situated on the banks of the Murray River acr ...

. At the time of its establishment, the estimated population of the area was .

Main towns and villages

The largest town in Murray River Council is

in the far south east. Other towns and localities in the area include Barham,

Bunnaloo Bunnaloo is a village community in the central southern part of the Riverina and situated about west of Mathoura, New South Wales, Mathoura and south west of Deniliquin, New South Wales, Deniliquin. In 2006, Bunnaloo had a population of 126. ...

Burraboi Burraboi is a community in New South Wales, Australia. It is in the southwestern part of the Riverina and situated about north of Barham and 50 km south of Moulamein. At the , Burraboi had a population of 63. Burraboi Post Office open ...

, Caldwell, Cunninyeuk,

Koraleigh Koraleigh is a small village in the west of the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The village is on the Murray River and in Murray River Council local government area. Koraleigh is northeast of Nyah, Victoria and south of Tooleyb ...

Kyalite Kyalite is a locality on the Wakool River in the Riverina district of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is part of Balranald Shire and is approximately south west of the state capital Sydney and north west of Melbourne. Kyalite was ...

Mathoura Mathoura is a small town in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. At the , Mathoura had a population of 938. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word for 'windy' ...

Moulamein Moulamein is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. At the , Moulamein had a population of 484 . Moulamein is the oldest town in the Riverina. The town is located between Balranald, Hay, ...

Murray Downs Murray Downs is a locality in the Murray River Council, New South Wales, Australia. It is directly across the border from Swan Hill. Heritage listings The Murray River road bridge over the Murray River connects Swan Hill Road in Murray Downs ...

, Speewa,

Tantonan Tantonan is a rural locality in the central south part of the Riverina, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated by road, about 8 kilometres north west from Caldwell Caldwell may refer to: People * Caldwell (surname) * Caldwell (given ...

Wakool Wakool is a town in the western Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Wakool is in the Murray River Council local government area, south west of the state capital, Sydney and north-west of Melbourne. At the , Wakool had a population ...

and Womboota.

Heritage listings

The Murray River Council has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Barham, 319 Main Road: Barham Bridge over Murray River * Cunninyeuk, 94 Noorong Road (Main Road):

Gee Gee Bridge over Wakool River The Gee Gee Bridge was a heritage-listed road bridge that carried Noorong Road across the Wakool River, connecting Cunninyeuk with Wetuppa in New South Wales, Australia. The bridge was designed by Harvey Dare and opened in 1929. Owned by the ...

* Moama, Hunt Street: Moama Historic Precinct * Swan Hill, 386 Main Road: Coonamit Bridge over Wakool River * Swan Hill, 67 Main Road (East):

Swan Hill-Murray River Road Bridge The Murray River road bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries Swan Hill Road across the Murray River, on the border between New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. The bridge connects Murray Downs in New South Wales with McCallum ...

* Tooleybuc, 222 Main Road:

Tooleybuc Bridge The Tooleybuc Bridge is a dual heritage-listed road bridge that carries Tooleybuc Road across the Murray River, located in Tooleybuc, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1925. The bridge is owned by the Transport for NSW, and is also ...

* Wakool, Moulamein Highway:

Murray Downs Homestead The Murray Downs Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead at Moulamein Road, Murray Downs, Murray River Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was built by Seutorius Henry Officer and Charles Officer (between 1866 and 1884); and by Alfred Fe ...

Demographics

Council

The Administrator of the Murray River Council from 2016 to September 2017 was David Shaw. Murray River Council has nine

Councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s elected proportionally from three

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 - Moama, Greater Murray and Greater Wakool. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The most recent election was held on 9 September 2017, and the makeup of the Council by order of election is as follows:

Main towns in shire

In 2021 census the shire had a population of 12,850.

References