Gympie Region

The Gympie Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about 170 kilometres (110 mi) north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay and centred on the town of Gympie. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shires of Cooloola and Kilkivan and part of the Shire of Tiaro.

Gympie Region
Queensland
Location within Queensland
Population51,586 (2018)[1]
 • Density7.4936/km2 (19.4084/sq mi)
Established2008
Area6,884 km2 (2,657.9 sq mi)[1]
MayorGlen Hartwig
Council seatGympie
RegionWide Bay–Burnett
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)Wide Bay
WebsiteGympie Region
LGAs around Gympie Region:
North Burnett Fraser Coast Fraser Coast
South Burnett Gympie Region Coral Sea
South Burnett Somerset Noosa

The Regional Council, which governs the Region, has an estimated operating budget of A$50 million.

History

Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi, Cabbee, Carbi, Gabi Gabi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Gubbi Gubbi country. The Gubbi Gubbi language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Sunshine Coast Region and Gympie Region, particularly the towns of Caloundra, Noosa Heads, Gympie and extending north towards Maryborough and south to Caboolture.[2]

Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Gympie Region existed as four distinct local government areas:

Deep Creek Bridge, 1893
Gympie General Hospital, 1935
Gympie Regional Council Chambers, 2012

The Gympie area was originally settled for grazing purposes. The discovery of gold in 1867 led to a gold rush and the development of the Mary River valley for closer agricultural pursuits.

The Widgee Divisional Board was incorporated on 11 November 1879 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. On 3 July 1886, its western part separately incorporated as the Division of Kilkivan. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, both Widgee and Kilkivan became shires on 31 March 1903. On 21 November 1940, the Widgee Shire Council moved into new premises formerly occupied by the Bank of New South Wales at 242 Mary Street, Gympie.

The Municipal Borough of Gympie was incorporated on 25 June 1880, holding its first elections on 25 August. A town hall was built in 1890. It became a town under the new Act on 31 March 1903, and on 7 January 1905 was proclaimed a city by the Governor of Queensland.[3]

On 2 November 1993, the Shire of Widgee and the City of Gympie merged under the terms of the Local Government (Shire of Cooloola) Regulation 1993 to form the Shire of Cooloola. The first elections were held on 27 November 1993 and Adrian McClintock, the former Widgee chairman, was elected for a four-year term.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Cooloola and Kilkivan amalgamate with part of the Shire of Tiaro. The first two councils opposed amalgamation, but in the event of amalgamation, thought the Commission's proposal the best option. Tiaro wished to amalgamate with the Shire of Woocoo and opposed the plan.[4]

On 15 March 2008, the three shires ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect eight councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council. Ron Dyne, the former mayor of Kilkivan, was elected as the region's first mayor. The former Cooloola Shire Council Chambers is now used as the Gympie Regional Council Chambers.

Wards

The council remains undivided and its elected body consists of eight councillors and a mayor, elected for a four-year term.

Current Councillors/Mayor

The mayor of the Gympie Regional Council is Glen Charles Hartwig. Mayor Glen Hartwig was elected in the Gympie Regional Council election on Saturday, 28 March 2020.[5][6]

The councillors are:,[7]

  • Jess Milne – Division 1
  • Nadine Jensen – Division 2
  • Shane Waldock – Division 3
  • Bruce Devereaux – Division 4
  • Dan Stewart – Division 5
  • Hilary Smerdon – Division 6
  • Warren Polley – Division 7
  • Robert Fredman – Division 8

Mayors
  • 2008–2014 : Ron Dyne [8]
  • 2015–2020 : Mick Curran [9][10]
  • 2020–present : Glen Hartwig [11][12]

Towns and localities

The Gympie Region includes the following settlements:

1 - split with Fraser Coast Region

Libraries

The Gympie Regional Council operate public libraries at Goomeri, Gympie, Imbil, Kilkivan, Rainbow Beach, and Tin Can Bay.[13]

Local heritage register

The Gympie Regional Council established and maintains the Gympie Local Heritage Register.[14]

Population

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. Estimates for the Tiaro component, not included in the figures below, are: 1,315 (1991); 1,695 (1996); 1,789 (2001) and 2,197 (2006).

Year Population
(Region total)		 Population
(Gympie)		 Population
(Widgee)		 Population
(Kilkivan)
192115,1426,5395,5563,047
193320,7227,7498,6864,287
194720,3888,4137,8344,141
195422,0269,9648,1393,923
196122,67811,0947,9483,636
196622,11411,2797,4903,345
197121,02711,0966,9592,972
197622,17111,2808,2402,651
198124,46011,42010,5402,500
198627,11811,43012,9702,718
199130,62614,12213,6512,853
199634,90115,09916,6373,165
200136,11215,02117,9683,123
200639,47816,45419,6163,408
201649,300
202153,242

See also

References
  1. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. This Wikipedia article incorporates CC-BY-4.0 licensed text from: "Gubbi Gubbi". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  3. Queensland Government Gazette, 7 January 1905, p.1905:31.
  4. Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 151–155. ISBN 978-1-921057-11-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  5. Queensland, Electoral Commission of (30 April 2020). "2020 Local Government Elections". www.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  6. "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  7. "Councillors - Gympie Regional Council - Gympie Regional Council". www.gympie.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  8. "Ex-Gympie mayor Ron Dyne to be farewelled at funeral today". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 16 November 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  9. "2015 Gympie Regional Council - Mayoral by Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  10. "2016 Gympie Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  11. "Councillors". Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  12. "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  13. "Library locations". Gympie Regional Council. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  14. "Local heritage planning". Gympie Regional Council. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.

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