Bourke Shire

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Bourke Shire
Bourke LGA NSW.png
Location in New South Wales
Bourke Shire Council Logo.jpg
Coordinates: 30°06′S145°56′E / 30.100°S 145.933°E / -30.100; 145.933
Country Australia
State New South Wales
Region Orana
Council seat Bourke
Government
  MayorBarry Hollman (Unaligned)
   State electorate
   Federal division
Area
  Total
41,679 km2 (16,092 sq mi)
Population
  Totals2,834 (2016 census) [1]
2,630 (2018 est.) [2]
  Density0.067996/km2 (0.17611/sq mi)
Website Bourke Shire
LGAs around Bourke Shire
Bulloo (Qld) Paroo (Qld) Balonne (Qld)
Unincorporated Far West Bourke Shire Brewarrina
Unincorporated Far West Cobar Bogan

Bourke Shire is a local government area in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Darling River, which is known as the Barwon River upstream from Bourke; and located adjacent to the Mitchell Highway. The northern boundary of the Shire is located adjacent to the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The shire is a wool and beef producing area.

Contents

The mayor of Bourke Shire Council is Cr. Barry Hollman, an unaligned politician.

History

The Bourke LGA (local government area) was traditionally home to around fifteen Aboriginal groups. The people of the region were traditionally hunter-gatherers as well as seed harvesters, who managed the environment. These traditional landowners have been identified as belonging to five main groups, the Ngiyampaa, Barranbinya, Paruntji, Naualko, and Muruwari peoples. Aboriginal people consulted for a 2019 Aboriginal heritage study identified the Bourke LGA as the traditional country of the Barkindji people, Bardaji people, Murrawari (Muruwari) people, Nyemba (Ngiyampaa) people, and Nyirrpa people, who each occupied different areas. The boundaries of the land they occupied were defined largely by rivers, landforms, and areas of access to seasonal environmental resources. [3]

Main towns and villages

Bourke Shire Council sign, bordering with Brewarrina (2021). AU-NSW-Brewarrina-Bourke Shire sign-2021.jpg
Bourke Shire Council sign, bordering with Brewarrina (2021).

Bourke Shire includes Bourke and the very small outback towns of Byrock, Enngonia, Fords Bridge, Wanaaring and Louth.

Demographics

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics during 2003–04 there: [4]

Selected historical census data for Bourke Shire local government area
Census year2011 [5] 2016 [1] 2021 [6]
PopulationEstimated residents on census night 2,868Decrease2.svg 2,634Decrease2.svg 2,340
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales 122ndDecrease2.svg 125thSteady2.svg 125th
% of New South Wales population0.04%Steady2.svg 0.04%Decrease2.svg 0.03%
% of Australian population0.01%Steady2.svg 0.01%Steady2.svg 0.01%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses
Australian 38.3%Increase2.svg 39.4%Decrease2.svg 33.6%
English 23.8%Decrease2.svg 22.1%Increase2.svg 30.0%
Australian Aboriginal 4.0%Increase2.svg 4.7%Increase2.svg 25.5%
Irish 7.8%Decrease2.svg 7.1%Increase2.svg 9.6%
Scottish 5.1%Decrease2.svg 4.2%Increase2.svg 6.2%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)
Nepali n/cIncrease2.svg 0.7%Decrease2.svg 0.6%
Malayalam n/cSteady2.svg n/cIncrease2.svg 0.3%
Telugu n/cSteady2.svg n/cIncrease2.svg 0.2%
Greek n/cSteady2.svg n/cIncrease2.svg 0.2%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses
Catholic 41.5%Decrease2.svg 36.5%Decrease2.svg 34.1%
No religion 8.6%Increase2.svg 12.7%Increase2.svg 20.6%
Not statedn/cIncrease2.svg 20.1%Decrease2.svg 19.0%
Anglican 21.1%Decrease2.svg 17.7%Decrease2.svg 13.8%
Presbyterian and Reformed 4.5%Decrease2.svg 3.6%Decrease2.svg 2.7%
Median weekly incomes
Personal incomeMedian weekly personal incomeA$600A$719A$862
% of Australian median income104.0%Increase2.svg 108.6%Decrease2.svg 107.1%
Family incomeMedian weekly family incomeA$1238A$1562A$1899
% of Australian median income83.6%Increase2.svg 90.1%Decrease2.svg 89.6%
Household incomeMedian weekly household incomeA$1085A$1243A$1559
% of Australian median income87.9%Decrease2.svg 86.4%Increase2.svg 89.3%

Council

Bourke Shire Council chambers, Mitchell Street, Bourke (2021). AU-NSW-Bourke-Shire council chambers-2021.jpg
Bourke Shire Council chambers, Mitchell Street, Bourke (2021).

Current composition and election method

Bourke Shire Council is composed of ten councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 10 September 2016, and the makeup of the council is as follows: [7]

PartyCouncillors
  Independents and Unaligned10
Total10

The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is: [7]

CouncillorPartyNotes
 Victor Bartley Independent
 Sarah BartonIndependent
 Sally DavisUnaligned
 Cec DorringtonUnaligned
 Lachlan FordIndependentDeputy Mayor [8]
 Barry HollmanUnalignedMayor [8]
 Samuel RiceIndependent
 Grace RidgeUnaligned
 Nathan RyanIndependent
 Bob StutselIndependent

Election results

2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Bourke
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Patricia Bates-Canty (elected)13311.8
Independent Scott McAdam (elected)12010.7
Independent Maxime Nina (elected)1059.3
Independent Sarah Barton (elected)988.7
Independent Samuel Rice (elected)948.4
Independent Lachlan Ford (elected)928.2
Independent Sally Davis (elected)887.8
Independent Francis Kerr (elected)877.7
Independent Kylie Baty (elected)756.7
Independent Bob Stutsel (elected)736.5
Independent Nathan Ryan615.4
Independent Victor Bartley534.7
Independent Cecil Dorrington272.4
Independent Grace Ridge201.8
Total formal votes1,12696.7
Informal votes383.3
Turnout 1,16467.2

2021

2021 New South Wales local elections: Bourke [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Victor Bartley (elected)unopposed
Independent Sarah Barton (elected)unopposed
Independent Sally Davis (elected)unopposed
Independent Cec Dorrington (elected)unopposed
Independent Lachlan Ford (elected)unopposed
Independent Barry Hollman (elected)unopposed
Independent Samuel Rice (elected)unopposed
Independent Grace Ridge (elected)unopposed
Independent Nathan Ryan (elected)unopposed
Independent Bob Stutsel (elected)unopposed
Registered electors 1,775

Notable persons

In 1884, Sid 'Combo' Ross set a record by shearing nine lambs in nine minutes. [10]

Scottish-Australian poet balladeer Will. H. Ogilvie (1869–1963) worked on Belalie Station on the Warrego River, composed many of his poems in the 1890s. Belalie is between the township of Enngonia (formerly Eringunia) and the Queensland border.

Edward Dickens, the son of English novelist Charles Dickens, was elected as alderman in the 1880s.

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Bourke (A)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 July 2017. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017–18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
  3. Corrigan, Brendan; Benton, Jodie; Sokol, Philippa (January 2019). Bourke Shire Aboriginal Heritage Study (PDF) (Report). Dubbo, NSW: OzArk Environmental & Heritage Management. Bourke Shire Council. p. 19.
  4. "Regional Wage and Salary Earner Statistics, Australia (catalogue no.: 5673.055.003)". Australian Bureau of Statistics . Retrieved 11 March 2007.
  5. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Bourke (A)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 October 2012. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  6. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Bourke (A)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 November 2025. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  7. 1 2 "Bourke – Councillor Election results". NSW Electoral Commission. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  8. 1 2 thewesternherald (15 December 2021). "Bourke Shire leadership team re-elected". thewesternherald. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  9. "Bourke". ABC News.
  10. "Shearing Records". Western Star and Roma Advertiser . No. 3080. Queensland, Australia. 21 November 1908. p. 4. Retrieved 22 October 2017 via National Library of Australia.