Shire of Boonah

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Shire of Boonah
Queensland

Location within Queensland
Population: 8,770 (2006 census)[1]
Established: 1880
Area: 1921.6 km² (741.9 sq mi)
Council Seat: Boonah
Region: South East Queensland
Website: http://www.boonah.qld.gov.au/
LGAs around Shire of Boonah:
Laidley Ipswich Ipswich
Warwick Shire of Boonah Beaudesert
Tenterfield (NSW) Tenterfield (NSW) Kyogle (NSW)

The Shire of Boonah was a Local Government Area located in South East Queensland, Australia, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) southwest of Brisbane. The shire covered an area of 1,921.6 square kilometres (741.9 sq mi), and existed from 1880 until its merger with parts of the Shire of Beaudesert and City of Ipswich to form the Scenic Rim Regional Council on 15 March 2008.

The shire was part of the "Scenic Rim", a group of mountain ranges forming part of the Great Dividing Range, and contained four national parks—Main Range, Mount French, Moogerah Peaks and Mount Greville.

Contents

[edit] History

The Goolman Divisional Board was incorporated on 11 November 1879 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879, centred on Boonah and consisting of six councillors. On 25 October 1890, part of its northern section became part of the new Normanby division. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Goolman became a shire council on 31 March 1903, and on 16 October 1937 was renamed Boonah, which apparently means "bloodwood tree" in the local Aboriginal language.

On 29 January 1949, the Shire of Normanby was abolished, and was split between the Shires of Moreton and Boonah—a gain of 384 people and 109 km² (42 sq mi) for Boonah. The council was subdivided into three divisions, each electing three councillors. In March 2000, Boonah added to its area part of the City of Ipswich, including Mount Walker, Warrill View and Rosevale, and the divisions were abolished, with a seven-member council representing the entire district.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, Boonah merged with the southern rural section of the Shire of Beaudesert and the Harrisville-Peak Crossing section of the City of Ipswich to form the Scenic Rim Regional Council.

[edit] Towns and Localities

  • Boonah
  • Aratula
  • Charlwood
  • Coulson
  • Fassifern
  • Kalbar
  • Harrisville (split with City of Ipswich)
  • Maroon
  • Moogerah
  • Mount Alford
  • Mount Walker
  • Roadview
  • Rosevale
  • Silverdale
  • Tarome
  • Templin
  • Warrill View

[edit] Population

Year Population
1933 6,430
1947 5,855 #
1954 5,929
1961 5,852
1966 5,471
1971 5,466
1976 5,378
1986 5,991
1991 6,541
1996 6,879
2001 8,207
2006 8,770

# The estimated 1947 population of the post-1949 area was 6,239.[2]

[edit] Mayors

  • John Brent (1994–2008)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Boonah (S) (Local Government Area). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  2. ^ Queensland Year Book, No.11 (1950), p.46.

[edit] Further reading

  • Nash, E. R. (1980). Serving the Shire - History of Local Government in Boonah Shire from 1879. Boonah Shire Council. ISBN 0-959-39390-0.  (70 pages)
  • Pfeffer, Collin (1991). The Fassifern story : a history of Boonah Shire and surroundings to 1989. Boonah Shire Council. ISBN 0-959-39391-9.  (349 pages)
  • Collyer, Angela (ed.) (1988). Centenary stories : a collection of articles concerning the history of the Boonah Shire.  (171 pages - mostly photocopied newspaper articles)
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