Shire of Chinchilla
# Shire of Chinchilla

The Shire of Chinchilla was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Chinchilla, covered an area of 8,700.3 square kilometres (3,359.2 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the Town of Dalby and the Shires of Murilla, Tara and Wambo and the southern part of Taroom to form the Western Downs Region.

The economy of the area is largely reliant on primary production. Agriculture is the mainstay of the community, with beef and pork production, wool growing, and horticulture traditionally underwriting the local economy.

## History

The Shire of Chinchilla was established on 12 January 1912 by severance from the Shire of Wambo.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Chinchilla merged with the Town of Dalby and the Shires of Murilla, Tara and Wambo and the southern part of Taroom to form the Western Downs Region.

## Towns and localities

The Shire of Chinchilla included the following settlements:

## Chairmen and Mayors

| Office Holder | Date From | Date To | Title | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Leonard Louis Atkins | 13 March 1912 | 23 January 1913 | Chairman | |
| William C. Fraser | 6 March 1913 | 3 March 1914 | Chairman | |
| Thomas Evans | 3 March 1914 | 25 February 1916 | Chairman | |
| John Alexander Wilkinson | 1916 | 1917 | Chairman | |
| George Wilbert Wood | 1917 | 1919 | Chairman | |
| Frederick Joseph Glasson | 1919 | 1933 | Chairman | |
| James Edward Mackie | 1933 | 1939 | Chairman | Elected with 568 votes, over FJ Glasson with 444 |
| Thomas William Reid | 1939 | 1948 | Chairman | Resigned in 1948 |
| George L Castle | 1948 | 1949 | Chairman | |
| John Dorney | 1949 | 1968 | Chairman | Died while in office on 17 September 1968 |
| Harvey Fuller | 1968 | April 1981 | Chairman | Resigned from office. |
| Eric Stewart | 1981 | 1985 | Chairman | Did not seek reelection |
| Ivan Middleton | 1985 | 2000 | Chairman later Mayor | |
| Bill McCutcheon | 2000 | 2008 | Mayor | |

## Population

| Year | Population |
| - | - |
| 1921 | 3,103 |
| 1933 | 3,936 |
| 1947 | 5,203 |
| 1954 | 6,021 |
| 1961 | 6,063 |
| 1966 | 6,093 |
| 1971 | 5,524 |
| 1976 | 5,319 |
| 1981 | 5,387 |
| 1986 | 5,534 |
| 1991 | 5,406 |
| 1996 | 5,590 |
| 2001 | 5,609 |
| 2006 | 5,942 |
