Bourke Shire is a local government area in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Darling River, which is known as the Barwon River upstream from Bourke; and located adjacent to the Mitchell Highway. The northern boundary of the Shire is located adjacent to the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The shire is a wool and beef producing area.

The mayor of Bourke Shire Council is Cr. Barry Hollman, an unaligned politician.

History

The Bourke LGA (local government area) was traditionally home to around fifteen Aboriginal groups. The people of the region were traditionally hunter-gatherers as well as seed harvesters, who managed the environment. These traditional landowners have been identified as belonging to five main groups, the Ngiyampaa, Barranbinya, Paruntji, Naualko, and Muruwari peoples. Aboriginal people consulted for a 2019 Aboriginal heritage study identified the Bourke LGA as the traditional country of the Barkindji people, Bardaji people, Murrawari (Muruwari) people, Nyemba (Ngiyampaa) people, and Nyirrpa people, who each occupied different areas. The boundaries of the land they occupied were defined largely by rivers, landforms, and areas of access to seasonal environmental resources.

Main towns and villages

Bourke Shire Council sign, bordering with Brewarrina (2021).

Bourke Shire includes Bourke and the very small outback towns of Byrock, Enngonia, Fords Bridge, Wanaaring and Louth.

Demographics

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics during 2003–04 there:

  • were 1,062 wage and salary earners (ranked 141st in New South Wales and 457th in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's 2,558,415 and Australia's 7,831,856)
  • was a total income of $36 million (ranked 137th in New South Wales and 449th in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's $107 billion and Australia's $304 billion)
  • was an estimated average income per wage and salary earner of $33,611 (ranked 88th in New South Wales and 298th in Australia, 81% of New South Wales's $41,407 and 87% of Australia's $38,820)
  • was an estimated median income per wage and salary earner of $32,426 (ranked 71st in New South Wales and 235th in Australia, 91% of New South Wales's $35,479 and 95% of Australia's $34,149).
Selected historical census data for Bourke Shire local government area
Census year201120162021
PopulationEstimated residents on census night2,8682,6342,340
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales122nd125th125th
% of New South Wales population0.04%0.04%0.03%
% of Australian population0.01%0.01%0.01%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responsesAustralian38.3%39.4%33.6%
English23.8%22.1%30.0%
Australian Aboriginal4.0%4.7%25.5%
Irish7.8%7.1%9.6%
Scottish5.1%4.2%6.2%
Language, top responses (other than English)Nepalin/c0.7%0.6%
Malayalamn/cn/c0.3%
Telugun/cn/c0.2%
Greekn/cn/c0.2%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responsesCatholic41.5%36.5%34.1%
No religion8.6%12.7%20.6%
Not statedn/c20.1%19.0%
Anglican21.1%17.7%13.8%
Presbyterian and Reformed4.5%3.6%2.7%
Median weekly incomes
Personal incomeMedian weekly personal incomeA$600A$719A$862
% of Australian median income104.0%108.6%107.1%
Family incomeMedian weekly family incomeA$1238A$1562A$1899
% of Australian median income83.6%90.1%89.6%
Household incomeMedian weekly household incomeA$1085A$1243A$1559
% of Australian median income87.9%86.4%89.3%

Council

Bourke Shire Council chambers, Mitchell Street, Bourke (2021).

Current composition and election method

Bourke Shire Council is composed of ten councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. 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 election was held on 10 September 2016, and the makeup of the council is as follows:

PartyCouncillors
Independents and Unaligned10
Total10

The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:

CouncillorPartyNotes
Victor BartleyIndependent
Sarah BartonIndependent
Sally DavisUnaligned
Cec DorringtonUnaligned
Lachlan FordIndependentDeputy Mayor
Barry HollmanUnalignedMayor
Samuel RiceIndependent
Grace RidgeUnaligned
Nathan RyanIndependent
Bob StutselIndependent

Election results

2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Bourke
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
IndependentPatricia Bates-Canty (elected)13311.8
IndependentScott McAdam (elected)12010.7
IndependentMaxime Nina (elected)1059.3
IndependentSarah Barton (elected)988.7
IndependentSamuel Rice (elected)948.4
IndependentLachlan Ford (elected)928.2
IndependentSally Davis (elected)887.8
IndependentFrancis Kerr (elected)877.7
IndependentKylie Baty (elected)756.7
IndependentBob Stutsel (elected)736.5
IndependentNathan Ryan615.4
IndependentVictor Bartley534.7
IndependentCecil Dorrington272.4
IndependentGrace Ridge201.8
Total formal votes1,12696.7
Informal votes383.3
Turnout1,16467.2

2021

2021 New South Wales local elections: Bourke
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
IndependentVictor Bartley (elected)unopposed
IndependentSarah Barton (elected)unopposed
IndependentSally Davis (elected)unopposed
IndependentCec Dorrington (elected)unopposed
IndependentLachlan Ford (elected)unopposed
IndependentBarry Hollman (elected)unopposed
IndependentSamuel Rice (elected)unopposed
IndependentGrace Ridge (elected)unopposed
IndependentNathan Ryan (elected)unopposed
IndependentBob Stutsel (elected)unopposed
Registered electors1,775

Notable persons

In 1884, Sid 'Combo' Ross set a record by shearing nine lambs in nine minutes.

Scottish-Australian poet balladeer Will. H. Ogilvie (1869–1963) worked on Belalie Station on the Warrego River, composed many of his poems in the 1890s. Belalie is between the township of Enngonia (formerly Eringunia) and the Queensland border.

Edward Dickens, the son of English novelist Charles Dickens, was elected as alderman in the 1880s.