Central Darling Shire

Central Darling Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	31°34′S 143°22′E / 31.567°S 143.367°E / -31.567; 143.367Coordinates: 31°34′S 143°22′E / 31.567°S 143.367°E / -31.567; 143.367
Population	1,991 (2011)[1]
• Density	0.04/km2 (0.10/sq mi)
Area	53,511 km2 (20,660.7 sq mi)
Mayor	Raymond Longfellow (Unaligned)
Council seat	Wilcannia
Region	Far West
State electorate(s)	Murray-Darling
Federal Division(s)	Parkes
Website	www.centraldarling.nsw.gov.au
LGAs around Central Darling Shire: Unincorporated Far West Unincorporated Far West Bourke Unincorporated Far West Central Darling Shire Cobar Wentworth Balranald Carrathool

Central Darling Shire is a local government area in the Far West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Barrier Highway. Central Darling Shire was constituted in 1959 and at 53,511 square kilometres (20,661 sq mi), it is the largest local government area in New South Wales.

The Mayor of Central Darling Shire Council is Cr. Ray Longfellow, who is unaligned with any political party.

Main towns/villages

The Shire includes the towns of Ivanhoe, Menindee, Wilcannia and White Cliffs.

Incomes

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics during 2003-04 there:^[2]

• were 509 wage and salary earners (ranked 162nd in New South Wales and 525th 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 $18 million (ranked 159th in New South Wales and 522nd in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's $107 billion and Australia's $304 billion)
• was an estimated average income per wage and salary earner of $34,391 (ranked 82nd in New South Wales and 268th in Australia, 83% of New South Wales's $41,407 and 89% of Australia's $38,820)
• was an estimated median income per wage and salary earner of $31,477 (ranked 84th in New South Wales and 284th in Australia, 89% of New South Wales's $35,479 and 92% of Australia's $34,149).

Council

Current composition and election method

Central Darling Shire Council is composed of nine Councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing three Councillors. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is elected by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:^[3][4][5]

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, is:

Economic activity

The principle economic activities within the Shire include pastoral, horticultural, agricultural, mining and tourism. Rural grazing properties represent the largest land use within the Shire, accounting for 97% of the entire area. Major horticultural and agricultural production is centred on Menindee. The relative ease of access to water from the Darling River and Menindee Lakes Storage Scheme enables producers to grow a large variety of crops and fruits.

Opal mining has been the predominant mining industry within the Shire. Opal was discovered in White Cliffs in 1884 and the first commercial opal field commenced operation in 1890, reaching its peak in 1899.^[6]

References