Bland Shire is a Local Government Area (LGA) in the Central West

Central West, New South Wales

The Central West region refers to the area west of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It has an area of 63,262 square kilometers....

 of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 on the Newell

Newell Highway

The Newell Highway is the longest highway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs parallel to the eastern coast about 400 kilometres inland, and is the main inland direct road link from Victoria to Queensland, bypassing the more congested coastal areas of New South Wales...

 and Mid-Western

Mid-Western Highway

The Mid-Western Highway starts at Bathurst New South Wales, where it joins with the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains from Sydney.It proceeds via Blayney, Carcoar and Cowra. It then heads west through Grenfell to West Wyalong where it crosses the Newell Highway...

 Highways.

The council's name honours William Bland

William Bland

Dr. William Bland was a transported convict, medical practitioner and surgeon, politician, farmer and inventor in colonial New South Wales, Australia.-Early life:...

.

The largest town and council seat is West Wyalong

West Wyalong, New South Wales

West Wyalong is a town in New South Wales, Australia which is the main town of the Bland Shire, located in the Central West region of New South Wales. It is located 467 km west of Sydney. It is located on the crossroads of the Newell Highway between Melbourne and Brisbane, and the Mid-Western...

. The region also includes the towns of Wyalong

Wyalong, New South Wales

Wyalong is part of the Bland Shire located in the Northern Riverina Region of New South Wales, Australia. Established as a gold mining town, it is now a quiet town with historic buildings a few kilometres east of West Wyalong, the major district service centre...

, Barmedman

Barmedman, New South Wales

Barmedman is a small rural town in the Bland Shire in the New South Wales state of Australia. It is the home of two large wheat silos with over a million bushels combined. At the 2006 census, Barmedman had a population of 227...

, Tallimba

Tallimba, New South Wales

Tallimba is a small country town in the Central West area of New South Wales, Australia. It is a part of the Bland Shire 34 km from West Wyalong and 1½ hours drive from Wagga Wagga...

, Ungarie

Ungarie, New South Wales

Ungarie is a town in New South Wales, Australia which is the second major town of the Bland Shire, located in the Central West region of New South Wales. It is located west of Sydney and north of Melbourne, between the towns of West Wyalong and Lake Cargelligo and is situated above sea level...

, Weethalle

Weethalle

Weethalle is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is the Bland Shire Local government area and on the Mid-Western Highway, west of the state capital, Sydney, and north east of Griffith. At the 2006 census, Weethalle and the surrounding area had a population...

 and Mirrool

Mirrool, New South Wales

Mirrool is a small village community at the very northern edge of the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated by road, about 16 kilometres east from Beckom and 19 kilometres west from Ariah Park...

. The Shire's major economic activities are agriculture, mining, transport, tourism and wholesale distribution.

Average annual rainfall is 482 millimetres (19 in). Average temperature are: maximum 23.3 °C (73.9 °F), minimum 9.5 °C (49.1 °F). Prevailing wind direction is: AM: north east; PM: south west, with predominantly calm conditions. Topography is generally undulating or flat, with the altitude ranging from 200 to 486 m (656.2 to 1,594.5 ft). Main tree species include: kurrajong, cypress pine, mallee, box, ironbark, belah and wilga. Native fauna include: water fowl, red and grey kangaroos, echidnas, goannas, possums, bats and mallee fowls. Soil are predominantly clay with some granite soil and red brown earth, mostly neutral in pH. Native pasture plants include: wallaby grasses, Queensland blue grass and plains and wire grass.

Council

Bland Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally. The mayor is not directly elected. The current makeup of the council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Unaffiliated	9
	Total	9

The current council, elected in 2011, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Howard Mangelsdorf	Unaffiliated
	Liz McGlynn	Unaffiliated
	Tony Lord	Unaffiliated
	Barry Cooper	Unaffiliated
	Neil Pokoney	Unaffiliated	Mayor
	Peter Grellman	Unaffiliated
	Dot Smith	Unaffiliated	Deputy Mayor
	Kerry Keatley	Unaffiliated
	Andrew Buttenshaw	Unaffiliated