City of Blue Mountains

City of Blue Mountains
New South Wales

Location in New South Wales
Coordinates 33°42′S 150°18′E / 33.700°S 150.300°E / -33.700; 150.300Coordinates: 33°42′S 150°18′E / 33.700°S 150.300°E / -33.700; 150.300
Population 78,414 (2012)[1]
 • Density 54.83/km2 (142.0/sq mi)
Area 1,430 km2 (552.1 sq mi)
Mayor Mark Greenhill (Labor)
Council seat Katoomba[2]
Region Blue Mountains
State electorate(s) Blue Mountains, Penrith
Federal Division(s) Macquarie
Website City of Blue Mountains
LGAs around City of Blue Mountains:
Lithgow Hawkesbury Hawkesbury
Lithgow City of Blue Mountains Penrith
Oberon Wollondilly Liverpool
The Three Sisters, south of Katoomba, in Blue Mountains National Park, are a major attraction of the city.

The City of Blue Mountains is a local government area of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. The city is located in the Blue Mountains range west of Sydney.

The Mayor of Blue Mountains City Council is councillor Mark Greenhill, a member of the Labor Party.

Demographics

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there:[3]

Towns and villages in the local government area

The urban part of the city consists of a ribbon of close or contiguous towns which lie on the Main Western railway line, served by NSW TrainLink's Blue Mountains Line, and Great Western Highway between Emu Plains and Lithgow. About 70% of the city's area is within the Blue Mountains National Park which lies north and south of the ribbon of towns. The National Park is part of the much larger Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site and the city brands itself as "The City Within a World Heritage National Park". The towns and villages are generally grouped into lower, mid, and upper mountains. The economy of the upper mountains is dependent almost entirely on tourism. The road to Sydney, the Great Western Highway, is mostly dual carriageway but is relatively slow due to the urban development and hilly terrain. An electric train service integrates into Sydney Trains, Sydney's suburban rail network.

The main towns and villages in the City of Blue Mountains are:

Council

Current composition and election method

Blue Mountains City Council is composed of twelve Councillors elected proportionally as four 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 general election was held on 8 September 2012. Following the resignations of two councillors in 2014, the makeup of the Council is as follows:[4][5][6][7]

PartyCouncillors
  Australian Labor Party 7
  Liberal Party of Australia 4
  Independents 1
Total 12

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

WardCouncillorPartyNotes
First Ward[4]   Michael Begg Liberal
  Robert Stock Independent Resigned 2014
  Don McGregor Labor
Second Ward[5]   Chris van der Kley Liberal
  Romola Hollywood Labor
  Geordie Williamson Greens Resigned 2014
Third Ward[6]   Daniel Myles Liberal
  Brendan Luchetti Independent Deputy Mayor
  Mick Fell Labor
Fourth Ward[7]   Mark Greenhill Labor Mayor
  Brendan Christie Liberal
  Anton Von Schulenburg Labor

Councillors Williamson and Stock resigned in 2014, and the subsequent first and second ward by-elections on November 15, 2014, saw Australian Labor Party candidates Sarah Shrubb and Annette Bennett elected.[8][9]

WardCouncillorPartyNotes
First Ward[4]   Michael Begg Liberal
  Sarah Shrubb Labor
  Don McGregor Labor
Second Ward[5]   Chris van der Kley Liberal
  Romola Hollywood Labor
  Annette Bennett Labor
Third Ward[6]   Daniel Myles Liberal
  Brendan Luchetti Independent Deputy Mayor
  Mick Fell Labor
Fourth Ward[7]   Mark Greenhill Labor Mayor
  Brendan Christie Liberal
  Anton Von Schulenburg Labor

Sister cities

The City of Blue Mountains has sister city relationships with the following cities:[10]

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012). "Blue Mountains Region Data Summary". Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  2. "Blue Mountains City Council". Division of Local Government. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
  3. "Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2005–06". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 30 July 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 "Blue Mountains City Council – First Ward". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 "Blue Mountains City Council – Second Ward". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 "Blue Mountains City Council – Third Ward". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 "Blue Mountains City Council – Fourth Ward". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  8. http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/results/by-elections/local/2014/blue_mountains_city_council_first_ward_by-election_15_November_2014
  9. https://results.elections.nsw.gov.au/LB1407/Blue_Mountains/Blue%20Mountains%20Second/Councillor/DistributionOfPreferencesReport.html
  10. "Sister Cities". Blue Mountains City Council. Retrieved 1 April 2011.

External links

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