The Whitsunday Region is a Local Government Area

Local Government Areas of Queensland

This is a list of local government areas in Queensland, sorted by region. For the history and responsibilities of local government in that state, see Local government in Queensland.-LGAs sorted by region:...

 located in North

North Queensland

North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...

 Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Established in 2008, it was preceded by two previous local government areas with a history extending back to the establishment of regional local government in Queensland in 1879.

It has an estimated operating budget of A$48.8m.

History

The Whitsunday Region was previously administered as two separate local government areas: the Shire of Bowen

Shire of Bowen

The Shire of Bowen was a Local Government Area located in the North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Bowen, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the Shire of Whitsunday to...

 and the Shire of Whitsunday

Shire of Whitsunday

The Shire of Whitsunday was a Local Government Area located in the North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Proserpine, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the Shire of Bowen...

.

The Bowen Municipality was constituted on 7 August 1863 under the Municipalities Act 1858 (a piece of New South Wales legislation inherited by Queensland at its separation four years earlier). On 11 November 1879, the Wangaratta Division was created as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Wangaratta became a shire and Bowen became a town on 31 March 1903.

On 19 January 1910, the Shire of Proserpine was excised from Wangaratta. With the growth of tourism in the Whitsunday Islands

Whitsunday Islands

The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, situated between just south of Bowen and to the north of Mackay, some north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial...

 and the Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...

, it was renamed on 18 February 1989.

On 2 April 1960, the Town of Bowen was abolished, and merged into the Shire of Wangaratta, which was renamed Bowen.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that the two areas amalgamate. It believed the merger would enhance the regional planning necessary to manage its part of the Reef and improve service delivery, quality of governance and economies of scale. Both councils opposed amalgamation, although amalgamation with each other was the preferred option of each if forced to choose. On 15 March 2008, the Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

Towns and localities

• Bowen
  Bowen, Queensland
  Bowen is a town on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Bowen had a population of 7,484.-Geography:Bowen is located on the north-east coast of Australia, at exactly twenty degrees south of the equator. In fact, the twentieth parallel crosses the main street...
  
  
• Collinsville
  Collinsville, Queensland
  Collinsville is a mining town in the coal-rich Bowen Basin region of central Queensland, Australia, 1245 km north of Brisbane and 87 km south-west of the coastal town of Bowen. The town is part of the Whitsunday Region...
  
  
• Proserpine
  Proserpine, Queensland
  -External links:* * * * *...
  
  

Airlie Beach Airlie Beach, Queensland Airlie Beach is a town in the Whitsunday Region of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, the suburb of Airlie Beach itself had a population of 2,751. The greater Whitsunday region had a population of approximately 31,000... Andromache Binbee Bogie Brandy Creek Breadalbane Brisk Bay Cannon Valley Cannonvale Cape Conway Cape Gloucester Conway Conway Beach Crystal Brook Daydream Island Dingo Beach Dittmer Flametree Foxdale Foxdale, Queensland Foxdale is a farming district located to the north west of Proserpine in the state of Queensland, Australia.The town is situated between the Proserpine River to the south west and the Bruce Highway and North Coast railway line to the west... Glen Isla

Gloucester Island Goorganga Creek Goorganga Plains Gregory River Gumlu Gumlu, Queensland Gumlu is a town in North Queensland, Australia. It does not have a big population, but does have a service station. Houses have boomed in Gumlu lately by about 100% in a year, because of a coal mine opening up. It is located in between Home Hill and Bowen. It is 51km away from Home Hill and 49km... Gunyarra Guthalungra Hamilton Island Hamilton Plains Hayman Island Hayman Island Hayman Island is the most northerly of the Whitsunday Islands, part of the Cumberland Islands, which are located off the coast of Central Queensland, Australia at... Hideaway Bay Inveroona Jubilee Pocket Kelsey Creek Laguna Quays Lake Proserpine Lethebrook Mandalay Merinda Mount Julian

Mount Marlow Mount Pluto Mount Rooper Mount Wyatt Myrtlevale Newlands Palm Grove Pauls Pocket Preston Preston, Queensland Preston is a locality south-east of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, to the east of Hodgson Vale. It was named in 1999.... Queens Beach Riordanvale Scottville Scottville, Queensland Scottville is a small town in the Bowen Basin coal-mining region of central Queensland, Australia. It is located south of the larger town of Collinsville. Scottville is located in the Whitsunday local government area, the administrative headquarters of which are located in Proserpine, to the... Shute Harbour Silver Creek Springlands Strathdickie Sugarloaf Thoopara Wilson Beach Woodwark

Population

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The next census, due in 2011, will be the first for the new Region.

Year	Population (Total)	(Bowen)	(Whitsunday)
1933	11,477	7,543	3,934
1947	11,700	8,083	3,617
1954	13,094	8,518	4,576
1961	14,604	9,491	5,113
1966	15,616	9,342	6,274
1971	16,651	10,231	6,420
1976	19,038	11,292	7,746
1981	24,478	13,645	10,833
1986	25,945	14,364	11,581
1991	29,388	14,161	15,227
1996	31,202	14,411	16,791
2001	32,021	13,698	18,323
2006	36,158	14,625	21,533