- Shire of Cooloola
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Shire of Cooloola
Queensland
Location within QueenslandPopulation: 36,956(2006 census)[1] Established: 1879 Shire of Widgee
1880 City of Gympie
1993 Shire of Cooloola (merged)Area: 2968.8 km² (1,146.3 sq mi) Council Seat: Gympie 
LGAs around Shire of Cooloola: Tiaro Maryborough (Fraser Island) Pacific Ocean Kilkivan Shire of Cooloola Noosa Kilcoy Kilcoy Maroochy The Shire of Cooloola was a Local Government Area located about 170 kilometres (106 mi) north of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of 2,968.8 square kilometres (1,146.3 sq mi), and was the product of a merger in 1993 between the City of Gympie and the Shire of Widgee, which had both existed since 1879-1880. It merged with several other LGAs to form the Gympie Region on 15 March 2008.
Contents
History
The Cooloola area was originally settled for grazing purposes. The discovery of gold in 1867 lead to a gold rush and the development of the Mary River valley for closer agricultural pursuits.
The Widgee Division was incorporated on 11 November 1879 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. On 3 July 1886, its western part separately incorporated as the Kilkivan Division. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Widgee became a shire on 31 March 1903, and on 21 November 1940 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.[2]
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.
On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, Cooloola merged with the Shire of Kilkivan and part of Tiaro to form the Gympie Region.
Wards
On its creation, Cooloola was subdivided into four numbered divisions, containing 2, 4, 3 and 3 councillors respectively, plus an elected mayor. Before the 2000 local government elections, Division 2 was reduced to 3 councillors and a new one-councillor Division 5 was created.
Towns and localities
Gympie Other areas - Amamoor
- Brooloo
- Carters Ridge
- Cooloola
- Cooloola Cove
- Dagun
- Glastonbury
- Goomboorian
- Imbil
- Kia Ora
- Kandanga
- Melawondi
- Mothar Mountain
- Moy Pocket
- Pie Creek
- Rainbow Beach
- The Palms
- Tin Can Bay
- Traveston
- Wolvi
Population
Year Population
(Cooloola)Population
(Gympie)Population
(Widgee)1921 12,095 6,539 5,556 1933 16,435 7,749 8,686 1947 16,247 8,413 7,834 1954 18,103 9,964 8,139 1961 19,042 11,094 7,948 1966 18,769 11,279 7,490 1971 18,055 11,096 6,959 1976 19,520 11,280 8,240 1981 21,960 11,420 10,540 1986 24,400 11,430 12,970 1991 27,773 14,122 13,651 1996 31,736 15,099 16,637 2001 32,989 15,021 17,968 2006 36,070 16,454 19,616 * Numbers in italics relate to non-existing entities.
Mayors and Chairmen
Cooloola Shire Chairmen
- Mick Venardos OAM (1997–2008)
- Adrian McClintock (1993–1997)
Gympie City Mayors
- Joan Dodt (1988–1993)
- Mick Venardos (1976–1988)
- James Kidd (1970–1976)
- Ronald Witham (1941–1970)
- Luke Thomas (1937–1941)
- Dr Luther Morris (1931–1937)
- Alexander Glasgow (1930–1931)
- Luke Thomas (1927–1930)
- George Thomas (1924–1927)
- Luke Thomas (1920–1924)
Widgee Shire Chairmen
- Adrian McClintock (1979–1993)
- Kevin De Vere (1976–1979)[3]
- Michael MacDonnell (1973–1976)
- William Buchanan (1969–1973)
- William Hubbard Kidd (1924–1969)
- Joseph Tatnell (1921–1924)
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Cooloola (S) (Local Government Area)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=LGA32530&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- ^ Queensland Government Gazette, 7 January 1905, p.1905:31.
- ^ Kevin De Vere was the uncle of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Source: "Kevin Rudd's Gympie link". Gympie Times. 5 December 2006. http://swampnews.squarespace.com/media-watch2/2006/12/12/kevin-rudds-gympie-link.html. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
Further reading
- Pedley, Ian (1979). Winds of change : one hundred years in the Widgee Shire. Widgee Shire Council. ISBN 0-959-62200-4.
- Widgee Shire Centenary Supplement (1879-1979). Gympie Times. 1979. (28 pages)
- Cooloola Library (Local History Section) (2001). Cooloola Shire : a golden past. Cooloola Shire Council. ISBN 0-646-40011-8.
External links
Coordinates: 26°11′25.20″S 152°39′55.45″E / 26.190333°S 152.6654028°E
Categories:- Former Local Government Areas of Queensland
- Australian Aboriginal placenames
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