Shire of Kingaroy

Shire of Kingaroy
Queensland

Location within Queensland
Population: 12,285(2006 census)[1]
Established: 1912
Area: 2420.3 km² (934.5 sq mi)
Council Seat: Kingaroy
Region: South Burnett
Website: http://www.kingaroy.qld.gov.au/
LGAs around Shire of Kingaroy:
Wondai Wondai Murgon
Chinchilla Shire of Kingaroy Murgon
Wambo Wambo Nanango

The Shire of Kingaroy was a Local Government Area located in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of the capital, Brisbane. The shire covered an area of 2,420.3 square kilometres (934.5 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the South Burnett area to become the South Burnett Regional Council.

The shire's name derives from the Wakka Wakka Aboriginal words "king dhu'roi", meaning "ant hungry". While land use was dominantly pastoral in the area's early European history, dairying, beef, small crops and in particular peanut farming became mainstays of Kingaroy's economy.

Contents

History

Kingaroy was originally part of the Barambah (later Nanango) Divisional Board, which was created on 11 November 1879 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Nanango became a shire council on 31 March 1903.

The town of Kingaroy started to grow after the arrival of the railway in 1904, and on 12 January 1912, the Shire of Kingaroy was proclaimed.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Kingaroy merged with the Shires of Murgon, Nanango and Wondai to form the South Burnett Regional Council.

Towns and localities

Population

Year Population
1933 6,844
1947 8,063
1954 8,059
1961 8,548
1966 8,339
1971 7,868
1976 7,801
1981 7,939
1986 9,902
1991 10,395
1996 11,141
2001 11,415
2006 12,285

References