Shire of Paroo

The Shire of Paroo is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The administrative centre is the town of Cunnamulla. The Paroo Shire covers an area of 47,623 square kilometres (18,387 sq mi). In the 2021 census, the Shire had a population of 1,679.[1]

Shire of Paroo
Queensland
Location in Queensland
Population1,679 (2021)
 • Density0.035256/km2 (0.091313/sq mi)
Established1879
Area47,623 km2 (18,387.3 sq mi)
MayorSuzette Catherine Beresford
Council seatCunnamulla
State electorate(s)Warrego
Federal division(s)Maranoa
WebsiteShire of Paroo
LGAs around Shire of Paroo:
Quilpie Murweh Maranoa
Bulloo Shire of Paroo Balonne
Far West (NSW) Bourke (NSW) Brewarrina (NSW)

Geography

The region incorporates the towns of Cunnamulla, Yowah, Eulo and Wyandra, with Cunnamulla being the hub of the Shire and is centrally situated on the crossroads of the Balonne and Mitchell Highways. Cunnamulla, meaning “long stretch of water”, gets its name from the Warrego River which flows past the town. The Paroo Shire is bounded by the Open Mitchell Grass Flood Plains in the East to the Yowah opal fields where the Yowah nut is found and the Mulga lands to the West.

Main industries within the Shire are beef, goat, fat lamb, wool, opal mining and tourism. Located in a semi-arid zone, the region has temperatures in summer ranging from 15 degrees to 37 degrees Celsius and winter temperature ranges from 2 to 25 degrees Celsius.

History
Map of Paroo Division and adjacent local government areas, March 1902

Gunya (Kunya, Kunja, Kurnja) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Gunya people. The Gunya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Paroo Shire Council, taking in Cunnamulla and extending north towards Augathella, east towards Bollon and west towards Thargomindah.[2]

Paroo Division was established on 11 November 1879 as one of the original divisions proclaimed under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 799.[3][4]

On 3 June 1880, the western part of the Paroo Division was separated to create the Bulloo Division.[5]

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Paroo Division became the Shire of Paroo on 31 March 1903.[4][6]

In 1924, a new shire hall was being built, but it was wrecked in a violent dust storm on 5 February.[7] However, they were able to straighten and strengthen the building[8] and it was finally opened on 6 December 1924 by the Minister for Public Instruction, Frank Brennan.[9] In 2018, an inspection revealed the foundations of the building had shifted and the building was unsafe; it was demolished in 2019. In 2020, construction commenced on a new civic centre, which was officially opened on 28 April 2021 by the Queensland Deputy General for Local Government, Natalie Wilde, and Paroo Shire Mayor, Suzette Beresford.[10][11][12]

Towns and localities

The Shire of Paroo includes the following settlements:

Amenities
Paroo Shire Hall and Council Chambers, Cunnamulla, circa 1930
The current Paroo Shire Hall with statue of the Cunnamulla Fella (from the Stan Coster song famously performed by Slim Dusty) in the foreground

The Paroo Shire Council Civic Centre is located on the corner of Stockyard Street and Louise Street in Cunnamulla.

Cunnamulla library, 2019

Paroo Shire Council operates public libraries at Cunnamulla, Wyandra and Yowah.[13]

Population of the shire
Year Population Notes
19333,505
19473,165
19544,143
19614,099
19663,600
19713,310
19763,021
19812,691
19862,733
19912,733
19962,432
20012,310
20061,928
20111,858
20161,640
20211,679[1]

Chairmen and mayors
  • 1907: William Duncan Rankin [14]
  • 1924: Mr Mackay [15]
  • 1927: John Henry Kerr [16]
  • 1952: Jack Tonkin
  • 1965–1988: Darby Land
  • 2006: Ian Tonkin
  • 2008–2012: Jo Sheppard[17]
  • 2012–2020: Lindsay Godfrey[18][19][20]
  • 2020–present: Suzette Catherine Beresford[21]

See also

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Shire of Paroo (LGA)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  2. "Gunya". State Library of Queensland. 21 January 2020.
  3. "Proclamation [Paroo Division]". Queensland Government Gazette. 11 November 1879. p. 25:1000.
  4. "Agency ID 1472, Paroo Divisional Board". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  5. "Proclamation [Bulloo Division]". Queensland Government Gazette. 5 June 1880. p. 26:1316.
  6. "Agency ID 1473, Paroo Shire Council". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  7. "SEVERE DUST STORM". The Queensland Times. National Library of Australia. 7 February 1924. p. 5 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  8. "CUNNAMULLA". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 21 April 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  9. "NEW BUILDINGS AT CUNNAMULLA". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 11 December 1924. p. 19. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  10. "Transformation of the Civic Centre building to the new Civic and Community Enterprise Centre (CCEC)". Paroo Shire Council. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  11. "Facilities". Paroo Shire Council. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  12. "Construction starts for $6.374m Civic and Community Enterprise Centre (CCEC) in Cunnamulla". Paroo Shire Council. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  13. "Paroo Shire Council". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  14. Consolidated Index to Queensland Government Gazette 1859-1919. Queensland Family History Society. 2004. ISBN 1-876613-79-3.
  15. "CUNNAMULLA". The Brisbane Courier. No. 20, 663. Queensland, Australia. 14 April 1924. p. 17. Retrieved 16 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. Pugh, Theophilus Parsons (1927). Pugh's Almanac for 1927. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  17. "2008 Paroo Shire - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  18. "Meet Your Councillors". Paroo Shire Council. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  19. "2012 Paroo Shire - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  20. "2016 Paroo Shire Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  21. "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.

Further reading
  • "Paroo Shire". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.

28°04′00″S 145°41′00″E

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