Moree Plains Shire Council

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Moree Plains Shire New South Wales
Population:	15,680[1]
Area:	17,928 km²
Mayor:	John Tramby
Council Seat:	Moree (21 Auburn Street}[2]
Region:	North West Slopes
State District:	Barwon
Federal Division:	Gwydir
Website: http://www.mpsc.nsw.gov.au
LGAs around Moree Plains Shire Queensland Queensland Queensland Walgett Moree Plains Shire Gwydir Walgett Narrabri Gwydir

The Shire of Moree Plains, located on the New South Wales side of the border with Queensland, is one of the largest Local Government areas in the State.

Also known as the Spa Capital of Australia, the township of Moree is a regional centre with daily air and rail links to Sydney. Moree is situated at the crossroads of the Newell and Gwydir Highways, both major inland transport corridors for Eastern Australia.

The Moree Hot Artesian Pool Complex, first established in 1896, attracts visitors from around Australia and overseas to "take the waters", an activity particularly popular with immigrants from eastern and southern Europe and eastern Asia. Moree itself sits at the south-eastern extremity of the Great Artesian Basin, a vast underground water resource covering much of eastern and central Australia.

The Shire has a relatively high Indigenous Australian population (seventeen per cent), and in recent years has achieved recognition for its Aboriginal Employment Strategy, targeting indigenous employment in the mainstream workforce through a process of mentoring and counselling of both employer and employee.

The town of Mungindi (2001 population: 645), which straddles the New South Wales/Queensland border, is custodian of the world's largest survey peg, the One Ton Post, which marks the start of the colonial border survey of 1881 from Mungindi to Cameron's Corner at South Australia. The Shire also includes the towns of Boggabilla (2001 population: 667), Pallamallawa (307), Gurley and Weemelah.

Moree Plains Shire is the most productive agricultural Local Government area in Australia, averaging around A$1Billion per year in agricultural primary production.

Current produce includes Wheat, Barley, Sorghum, Pulses, Cotton, Maize, Beef, Sheepmeat, Wool, Olives, Pecans, and Canola.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Shire's estimated population at 30 June 2004 was 16,027. The Council's website says Moree's 2001 population was 10,250 people.

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Coordinates: 29°28′S 149°50′E