Gwydir Shire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gwydir Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Population	5,258 (2016 census) 5,349 (2018 est.)
• Density	0.55624/km2 (1.4407/sq mi)
Established	17 March 2004 (2004-03-17)
Area	9,452.8 km2 (3,649.7 sq mi)
Mayor	John Coulton (Unaligned)
Council seat	Bingara
Region	New England
State electorate(s)	Northern Tablelands
Federal Division(s)	New England Parkes
Website	Gwydir Shire
LGAs around Gwydir Shire: Moree Plains Goondiwindi (Qld) Inverell Moree Plains Gwydir Shire Armidale Narrabri Tamworth Uralla

Gwydir Shire is a special area in New South Wales, Australia. It has its own local government. This area is part of the New England region. The northern edge of the Shire is right next to the border with Queensland.

The Gwydir Shire was created on March 17, 2004. It was formed by joining three older areas: Yallaroi, Bingara, and a part of Barraba. The main office for the local government is in the town of Bingara. Another important town in the Shire is Warialda.

The leader of the Gwydir Shire Council is Mayor John Coulton. He is an independent politician, meaning he doesn't belong to a major political party.

Towns and Villages in Gwydir Shire

Gwydir Shire is home to two main towns: Warialda and Bingara. It also has many smaller villages and localities. These include Back Creek, Bangheet, Caroda, Cobbadah, Coolatai, Copeton, Crooble, Croppa Creek, Dinoga, Elcombe, Gineroi, Gravesend, Gulf Creek, Gundamulda, North Star, Pallal, Riverview, Upper Bingara, Upper Horton, Warialda Rail, Yagobe, and Yallaroi.

Some places are split between different areas. For example, Myall Creek is partly in Gwydir Shire and partly in Inverell Shire. The town of Barraba is mostly in Tamworth Regional Council but a small northern part is in Gwydir Shire.

A Look Back: History of Gwydir Shire

The first local government in this area was the Bingara Municipality. It started in 1889 to serve the town of Bingara. The town of Warialda also got its own local government in 1900.

In 1906, new laws created "shires" across New South Wales. This led to the creation of the Yallaroi, Gwydir (which later became Bingara), and Barraba Shires. Over time, the smaller town governments joined with their shires. Warialda joined its shire in 1924, and Bingara joined its shire in 1943.

The current Gwydir Shire was formed on March 17, 2004. This happened when the Yallaroi, Bingara, and Barraba Shires were combined or split. Yallaroi and Bingara became fully part of the new Gwydir Shire. Barraba was split. Gwydir Shire received about 41% of Barraba's land and 340 people. The rest of Barraba joined the new Tamworth Regional Council.

Who Lives in Gwydir Shire?

Let's look at the people who live in Gwydir Shire. In 2011, there were about 4,965 people living here. Slightly more than half were male (50.6%) and slightly less than half were female (49.4%).

About 3.8% of the people were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This is a bit higher than the average for all of Australia. The average age of people in Gwydir Shire was 45 years old. This is older than the national average of 37 years. About 19% of the population were children aged 0-14 years. About 22.6% were people aged 65 and older.

Between 2006 and 2011, the number of people living in Gwydir Shire went down a little. This is different from Australia as a whole, where the population grew. The average weekly income for families in Gwydir Shire was lower than the national average.

In 2011, most people in Gwydir Shire said their family background was Australian or Anglo-Saxon. This was over 92% of residents. Most people (over 77%) also said they were Christian. This is higher than the national average. Also, most people (96.7%) in Gwydir Shire spoke only English at home. This is much higher than the national average.

Population Changes Over Time

Here's how the population of the Gwydir Shire area has changed over the years:

How the Council Works

The Gwydir Shire Council has nine councillors. These councillors are chosen by the people in the Shire. They are elected for a four-year term. The mayor is chosen by the councillors themselves at their first meeting. The last election was on December 4, 2021.

Election Results from 2021