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Shire of Paroo Queensland
Location in Queensland
Population	1,679 (2021 census)
• Density	0.035256/km (0.091313/sq mi)
Established	1879
Area	47,623 km (18,387.3 sq mi)
Mayor	Suzette Catherine Beresford
Council seat	Cunnamulla
State electorate(s)	Warrego
Federal division(s)	Maranoa
Website	Shire of Paroo
LGAs around Shire of Paroo: Quilpie Murweh Maranoa Bulloo Shire of Paroo Balonne Far West (NSW) Bourke (NSW) Brewarrina (NSW)

The Shire of Paroo is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The administrative centre is the town of Cunnamulla. The Paroo Shire covers an area of 47,623 square kilometres (18,387 sq mi). In the 2021 census, the Shire of Paroo had a population of 1,679 people.

Geography

The region incorporates the towns of Cunnamulla, Yowah, Eulo and Wyandra, with Cunnamulla being the hub of the Shire and is centrally situated on the crossroads of the Balonne and Mitchell Highways. Cunnamulla, meaning "long stretch of water", gets its name from the Warrego River which flows past the town. The Paroo Shire is bounded by the Open Mitchell Grass Flood Plains in the East to the Yowah opal fields where the Yowah nut is found and the Mulga lands to the West.

Main industries within the Shire are beef, goat, fat lamb, wool, opal mining and tourism. Located in a semi-arid zone, the region has temperatures in summer ranging from 15 degrees to 37 degrees Celsius and winter temperature ranges from 2 to 25 degrees Celsius.

History

Gunya (Kunya, Kunja, Kurnja) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Gunya people. The Gunya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Paroo Shire Council, taking in Cunnamulla and extending north towards Augathella, east towards Bollon and west towards Thargomindah.

Paroo Division was established on 11 November 1879 as one of the original divisions proclaimed under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 799.

On 3 June 1880, the western part of the Paroo Division was separated to create the Bulloo Division.

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Paroo Division became the Shire of Paroo on 31 March 1903.

In 1924, a new shire hall was being built, but it was wrecked in a violent dust storm on 5 February. However, they were able to straighten and strengthen the building and it was finally opened on 6 December 1924 by the Minister for Public Instruction, Frank Brennan. In 2018, an inspection revealed the foundations of the building had shifted and the building was unsafe; it was demolished in 2019. In 2020, construction commenced on a new civic centre, which was officially opened on 28 April 2021 by the Queensland Deputy General for Local Government, Natalie Wilde, and Paroo Shire Mayor, Suzette Beresford.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Paroo includes the following settlements:

• Barringun
• Cunnamulla
• Coongoola
• Eulo
• Humeburn
• Tuen
• Wyandra
• Yowah

Amenities

The Paroo Shire Council Civic Centre is located on the corner of Stockyard Street and Louise Street in Cunnamulla.

Paroo Shire Council operates public libraries at Cunnamulla, Wyandra and Yowah.

Demographics

Chairmen and mayors

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2017)

• 1907: William Duncan Rankin
• 1924: Mr Mackay
• 1927: John Henry Kerr
• 1952: Jack Tonkin
• 1965–1988: Darby Land
• 2006: Ian Tonkin
• 2008–2012: Jo Sheppard
• 2012–2020: Lindsay Godfrey
• 2020–present: Suzette Catherine Beresford

See also

• Koroit opal field
• Cunnamulla Fella
• Darby McCarthy

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Shire of Paroo (LGA)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
2. "Gunya". State Library of Queensland. 21 January 2020.
3. "Proclamation ". Queensland Government Gazette. 11 November 1879. p. 25:1000.
4. ^ "Agency ID 1472, Paroo Divisional Board". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
5. "Proclamation ". Queensland Government Gazette. 5 June 1880. p. 26:1316.
6. "Agency ID 1473, Paroo Shire Council". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
7. "SEVERE DUST STORM". The Queensland Times. National Library of Australia. 7 February 1924. p. 5 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
8. "CUNNAMULLA". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 21 April 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
9. "NEW BUILDINGS AT CUNNAMULLA". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 11 December 1924. p. 19. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
10. "Transformation of the Civic Centre building to the new Civic and Community Enterprise Centre (CCEC)". Paroo Shire Council. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
11. "Facilities". Paroo Shire Council. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
12. "Construction starts for $6.374m Civic and Community Enterprise Centre (CCEC) in Cunnamulla". Paroo Shire Council. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
13. "Paroo Shire Council". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
14. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Shire of Paroo (LGA)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
15. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Shire of Paroo (LGA)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
16. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Shire of Paroo (LGA)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
17. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Shire of Paroo (LGA)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
18. Consolidated Index to Queensland Government Gazette 1859-1919. Queensland Family History Society. 2004. ISBN 1-876613-79-3.
19. "CUNNAMULLA". The Brisbane Courier. No. 20, 663. Queensland, Australia. 14 April 1924. p. 17. Retrieved 16 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
20. Pugh, Theophilus Parsons (1927). Pugh's Almanac for 1927. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
21. "2008 Paroo Shire - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
22. "Meet Your Councillors". Paroo Shire Council. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
23. "2012 Paroo Shire - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
24. "2016 Paroo Shire Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
25. "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.

Further reading

• Blake, Thom; Paroo Shire, Queensland. Council (1979), Cunnamulla : a brief history of the Paroo Shire, Paroo Shire Council, ISBN 978-0-9595353-0-3
• Longhurst, Robert (2003), Paroo Shire history : Volume 1 : World War II 1847–1936, Paroo Shire Council, retrieved 14 January 2014

External links

• "Paroo Shire". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.

28°04′00″S 145°41′00″E / 28.06667°S 145.68333°E / -28.06667; 145.68333

• Populated places established in 1879
• 1879 establishments in Australia
• Shire of Paroo
• Local government areas of Queensland