Shire of Livingstone

Infobox Australian Place | type = lga
name = Shire of Livingstone
state = qld


imagesize= 180
caption = Location within Queensland
pop = 28,870
pop_footnotes = (2006 census) [Census 2006 AUS | id = LGA34550 | name = Livingstone (S) (Local Government Area) | accessdate=2008-03-18|quick = on]
area = 11776.3
est = 1879
seat = Yeppoon
region = Central Queensland

logosize = 90
url = http://www.livingstone.qld.gov.au/
near-nw = Broadsound
near-n = "Pacific Ocean"
near-ne = "Pacific Ocean"
near-w = Broadsound
near-e = "Pacific Ocean"
near-sw = Duaringa
near-s = Fitzroy
near-se = Rockhampton

The Shire of Livingstone was 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, covered an area of convert|11776.3|km2|sqmi|1, and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils to become the Rockhampton Regional Council.

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 lived in the coastal area centred on Yeppoon and Emu Park. The Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area is also located within the shire.

History

On 11 November 1879, the Gogango Divisional Board was established as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the "Divisional Boards Act 1879". It covered an area of convert|16239|km2|sqmi|abbr=on surrounding but not including the town of Rockhampton—an area significantly greater than the modern Rockhampton Regional Council covers. Capital and people came to the area in greater numbers after the discovery of gold in 1882 at Mount Morgan, about convert|20|km|mi|0 south of Rockhampton. A bridge was built spanning the Fitzroy River in 1882, and a year later in September 1883, the North Rockhampton Borough was proclaimed. On 6 April 1899, the section south of the Fitzroy River split away to form the Fitzroy Division.

With the passage of the "Local Authorities Act 1902", Gogango became a shire on 31 March 1903, and on 8 August 1903 it was renamed Livingstone. On 1 July 1984, the neighbouring City of Rockhampton grew to include some of its outer suburbs which had been within 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 Regional Council.

Towns and localities

Population

References