Walcha Shire

Walcha Shire
New South Wales

Location in New South Wales
Population: 3,286(2009)[1]
Area: 6267 km² (2,419.7 sq mi)
Mayor: Bill Heazlett
Council Seat: Walcha (2 Hamilton Street)[2]
Region: New England
State District: Northern Tablelands
Federal Division: New England
Website: http://www.walcha.nsw.gov.au
LGAs around Walcha Shire:
Uralla Armidale Kempsey
Tamworth Walcha Shire Port Macquarie-Hastings
Upper Hunter Gloucester Greater Taree

Walcha Shire is a Local Government Area (LGA) in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is at the junction of the Oxley Highway and Thunderbolts Way and is 20 kilometres east of the Main North railway line passing through Walcha Road.

The Shire of Apsley was constituted by proclamation on 7 March 1906. It is in the counties of Vernon, Hawes, and Inglis and comprises about 60 parishes. The area is 1,605,590 acres (6,497.6 km2). The Shire of Walcha was constituted by the Union of the Municipality and the Shire of Apsley on 1 June 1955.

Incomes

According to the Australian Bureau Statistics [3] during 2003-04, there:

- were 927 wage and salary earners (ranked 146th in New South Wales and 470th in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's 2,558,415 and Australia's 7,831,856)

- was a total income of $27,787,248 (around $28 million) (ranked 147th in New South Wales and 478th in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's $107,179,688,262 (around $107 billion) and Australia's $304,034,755,876 (around $304 billion))

- was an estimated average income per wage and salary earner of $29,975 (ranked 153rd in New South Wales and 517th in Australia, 72% of New South Wales's $41,407 and 77% of Australia's $38,820)

- was an estimated median income per wage and salary earner of $27,590 (ranked 154th in New South Wales and 517th in Australia, 78% of New South Wales's $35,479 and 81% of Australia's $34,149).

Main towns and villages

The towns and villages of Walcha Council include Walcha, Walcha Road, Niangala, Nowendoc and Woolbrook. Settlements include: Brackendale, Yarrowitch and Tia.

On 28 and 29 November 2008, torrential rain that caused severe flooding in the Apsley River and Macdonald River led to the area being declared a natural disaster area. Walcha Council estimated that it will cost approximately $1.7 million to repair damage caused to roads and infrastructure across the shire.[4]

References