Shire of Livingstone

The Shire of Livingstone is a local government area located in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia, to the immediate north and east of the regional city of Rockhampton. The shire, administered from the coastal town of Yeppoon, covers an area of 11,758 square kilometres (4,539.8 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils to become the Rockhampton Region. The Shire was re-established on 1 January 2014 following a successful de-amalgamation referendum in 2013.

Shire of Livingstone
Queensland
Location within Queensland
Population37,638 (2018)[1]
 • Density3.20105/km2 (8.2907/sq mi)
Established2014
Area11,758 km2 (4,539.8 sq mi)[1]
MayorAndrew Darryl Ireland
Council seatYeppoon
RegionCentral Queensland
WebsiteShire of Livingstone
LGAs around Shire of Livingstone:
Isaac Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean
Isaac Shire of Livingstone Pacific Ocean
Central Highlands Rockhampton Rockhampton

Industry within the shire is diverse. Timber is harvested from extensive pine plantations near Byfield in the north. Significant pineapple production takes place within the shire, as well as other agricultural crops. Tourism is increasingly becoming a mainstay of the area, with Keppel Bay and the nearby islands a major drawcard, and more than half of the Shire's population lives in the coastal area centred on Yeppoon and Emu Park. The coastal strip within the shire is known as the Capricorn Coast.[2] The Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area is also located within the shire.

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

On 11 November 1879, the Gogango Division was established as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 5023.[3][4] It covered an area of 16,239 km2 (6,270 sq mi) surrounding but not including the town of Rockhampton—an area significantly greater than the modern Rockhampton Regional Council covers. Its administrative centre was in North Rockhampton.

Capital and people came to the area in greater numbers after the discovery of gold in 1882 at Mount Morgan, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Rockhampton.

A bridge was built spanning the Fitzroy River in 1882, and a year later in September 1883, the Borough of North Rockhampton was proclaimed.

On 3 March 1892, part of subdivision 2 of the Broadsound Division was transferred to subdivision 3 of the Gogango Division, while another part of subdivision 2 of the Broadsound Division was transferred to the Duaringa Division.[5]

On 6 April 1899, the part of the Gogango Division south of the Fitzroy River split away to form the Fitzroy Division.[6]

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Gogango Division became the Shire of Gogango on 31 March 1903, and on 8 August 1903 it was renamed Shire of Livingstone.[7][8]

On 1 July 1984, the neighbouring City of Rockhampton grew to include some of its outer suburbs which had previously been within the Shire of Livingstone.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Livingstone merged with the City of Rockhampton and the Shires of Mount Morgan and Fitzroy to form the Rockhampton Region.[8][9]

In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Livingstone from the Rockhampton Region.[10] On 9 March 2013, the citizens of the former Livingstone shire voted in a referendum to de-amalgamate. The Shire of Livingstone was re-established on 1 January 2014.[11][12]

Proposed name change

Since de-amalgamation from Rockhampton Regional Council, there has been regularl proposals for the shire to change its name.[13][14][15][16] The name of Livingstone is believed to have been derived from Livingstone County in New South Wales which was named after Scottish explorer David Livingstone.[17] However, because of the name's lack of geographical context, it's been argued by local government leaders and local organisations that the shire suffers from poor name recognition.[18]

In March 2023, Livingstone mayor Andy Ireland requested a report detailing the positives and negatives associated with a name change.[18] He expressed frustration at regularly being asked to explain where the Shire of Livingstone was, including during meetings with senior Australian Defence Force personnel and cabinet ministers from the Federal Government. Former mayor Bill Ludwig had previously expressed a similar sentiment in 2018, stating: "In Brisbane, people would be flat out knowing where Livingstone is, but as Capricorn Coast Regional Council, they would know it's a coastal destination."[19]

Ireland also said that a change to the Capricorn Coast Region would assist with tourism marketing, with local tourism operators and organisation already having expressed a preference for such a name.[18] However, this proposal has already received opposition from residents of rural towns situated away from the coast such as The Caves, Marlborough and Ogmore.[20] The associated costs with changing the name of Livingstone has also prompted concern from the community.[20]

Towns and localities

The Shire of Livingstone includes the following settlements:

1 - shared with Rockhampton Region
2 - not to be confused with Bangalee in the Gladstone Region
3 - not to be confused with Maryvale in the Southern Downs Region

Climate

The city has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw), marking the southern boundary of this climatic zone, more precisely in the Byfield National Park.[21]

Libraries

The Livingstone Shire Council operates public libraries in Byfield, Marlborough, Emu Park, and Yeppoon. It also supports volunteer-operated libraries in Mount Chalmers and Stanage Bay.[22]

Population
Year Population
19336,472
19476,452
19547,031
19617,320
19667,780
19719,595
197611,634
198115,711
198615,886
199119,334
199624,796
200127,017
200628,870
201636,272

Chairmen and mayors

Incorporating non-consecutive terms into the years of representation, the following were the chairmen and mayors of the Shire of Livingstone from its beginnings as the Gogango Divisional Board in 1879 to the end of its first incarnation in 2008:[23]

  • 1880 – 1898: Henry Jones
  • 1882 – 1883: William Pattison
  • 1883 – 1888: John Murray[24]
  • 1885 – 1886: Robert Lyons
  • 1888 – 1902: James Atherton
  • 1889 – 1891: John O'Shanesy
  • 1891 – 1901: Henry Beak
  • 1893 – 1895: Duncan McDonald
  • 1900 – 1901: Jabez Wakefield
  • 1902 – 1910: William Toft
  • 1904 – 1909: Arthur Leslie Macdonald
  • 1905 – 1908: Arthur Horatio Parnell
  • 1910 – 1911: Thomas Henry John Atherton
  • 1911 – 1913: Roderick Thomas Haylock
  • 1913 – 1930: Thomas Smith
  • 1915 – 1917: Samuel Thomasson
  • 1921 – 1927: William Beak[25]
  • 1930 – 1933: William Francis Clayton
  • 1933 – 1936: Owen Daniel[26]
  • 1936 – 1961: William Todd
  • 1961 – 1982: Henry Robert Beak
  • 1964 – 1970: John Barrett Hinz
  • 1976 – 1985: Royston Warwick Wall
  • 1985 – 1986: Lindsay Hartwig[27]
  • 1986 – 1991: Thomas Arthur John Bowen
  • 1991 – 2000: Barbara Ann Wildin
  • 2000 – 2008: Bill Ludwig

The following were the mayors of Shire of Livingstone from the beginning of its second incarnation in 2014 to the present day:

  • 2014 – 2020 : Bill Ludwig[28][29]
  • 2020–present: Andrew Darryl Ireland[30]

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. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. "Capricorn Coast – district (entry 6158)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  3. "Proclamation [Gogango Division]". Queensland Government Gazette. 11 November 1879. p. 25:1004.
  4. "Agency ID 896, Gogango Divisional Board". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  5. "Order in Council [Broadsound, Gogango and Duaringa Divisions]". Queensland Government Gazette. 5 March 1892. p. 55:920.
  6. "Agency ID 243, Fitzroy Divisional Board". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  7. "Agency ID 897, Gogango Shire Council". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  8. "Agency ID 1139, Livingstone Shire Council". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  9. "Agency ID 11047, Rockhamption Regional Council". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  10. "Capricorn Coast Regional Council & Rockhampton Regional Council: a Partnership Approach for Sound Regional Governance: Unity and strength with community of interest representation: De-amalgamation Submission to the Queensland Boundary Commissioner August 2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  11. "De-amalgamation". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  12. "Local Government (De-amalgamation Implementation) Regulation 2013" (PDF). Local Government Act 2009. Queensland Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  13. Roberts, Alice; Buchanan, Kallee (10 July 2013). "Renaming the former Livingstone council". ABC Local. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  14. McKee, Christine (30 November 2013). "Livingstone residents lose interest in changing council name". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  15. Jarrett, Vanessa (20 November 2018). "Livingstone Shire name change tabled in today's meeting". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  16. McKee, Christine (8 January 2019). "Time to say goodbye to Livingstone Shire Council forever". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  17. "Community Profile: Livingstone Shire Council area". idcommunity. 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2023. Livingstone Shire is thought to have been named after the County of Livingstone in New South Wales in 1855, which was named after David Livingstone...
  18. McBryde, Emma (22 March 2023). "Council to consider name change". Central Queensland Today. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  19. McKee, Christine (5 December 2018). "What will be the new name for Livingstone Shire?". Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  20. McKee, Christine (30 May 2019). "Survey shows surprising result to Livingstone name change". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 24 March 2023. Others in the rural areas Ogmore, Marlborough, Glenlee, The Caves and Cawarral didn't like the emphasis on 'coast' and worried about being left further behind.
  21. "Interactive Australia / New Zealand Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification Map". www.plantmaps.com. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  22. "Libraries". Livingstone Shire Council. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  23. "Livingstone Shire Council mayors". Historical Data of Council. Livingstone Shire Council. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  24. McDonald, Lorna L. Murray, John (1837–1917). Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  25. Pugh, Theophilus Parsons (1927). Pugh's Almanac for 1927. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  26. Daniel, Mr Owen Archived 1 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine — Queensland Parliament. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  27. "Hartwig, Mr Lindsay Earle". Re-Member Database. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  28. "2013 Livingstone Shire Council – Mayoral Election". Electoral Commission of Queensland. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  29. "2016 Livingstone Shire Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  30. "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.

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