Shire of Gooburrum
# Shire of Gooburrum

The Shire of Gooburrum was a local government area to the north and west of the regional city of Bundaberg, Australia. This area, administered from Bundaberg itself, covered an area of 1,312.6 square kilometres (506.8 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1886 until 1994, when it amalgamated with Woongarra to form the Shire of Burnett.

## History

Kolan Division was established on 11 November 1879 as one of the original divisions under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. On 28 January 1886, the region north of the Burnett River was excised from Kolan Division to create a separate Gooburrum Division.

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Gooburrum Division became the Shire of Gooburrum on 31 March 1903. The Shire's offices were located in 186 Bourbong Street, Bundaberg, adjacent to Bundaberg City's offices.

In 1909, the Gooburrum Shire had an area of 512 square miles, a population of 4340, and 708 ratepayers. The value of the shire was estimated at £257,752, and the Government indebtedness totals £13,761.

On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Bundaberg area be rationalised. The Local Government (Bundaberg and Burnett) Regulation 1993 was gazetted on 17 December 1993, and on 30 March 1994, the Shire of Goolburrum was abolished and amalgamated with Shire of Woongarra to form the Shire of Burnett.

A tribute to the Shire of Gooburrum can be found on the ground floor of Fairymead House, Bundaberg Botanic Gardens in the museum section of the home.

## Towns and localities

* Abbotsford
* Avondale
* Bucca
* Bullyard
* Fairymead
* Gooburrum
* Littabella
* Meadowvale
* Miara
* Moore Park
* Moorland
* Oakwood
* Sharon
* South Kolan
* Watalgan
* Waterloo
* Welcome Creek
* Winfield
* Yandaran

## Chairmen

* 1927: A. J. Gibson

## Population

| Year | Population |
| - | - |
| 1921 | 2,922 |
| 1933 | 3,915 |
| 1947 | 3,825 |
| 1954 | 4,131 |
| 1961 | 4,372 |
| 1966 | 4,776 |
| 1971 | 4,519 |
| 1976 | 5,227 |
| 1981 | 5,261 |
| 1986 | 5,917 |
| 1991 | 7,117 |
