| Shire of Woocoo Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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 Location withinQueensland | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 3,351 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 1.66891/km2 (4.3225/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1914 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 2,007.9 km2 (775.3 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Oakhurst | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Wide Bay–Burnett | ||||||||||||||
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| Website | Shire of Woocoo | ||||||||||||||
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TheShire of Woocoo was alocal government area located in theWide Bay–Burnett region ofQueensland, Australia, containing the rural residential area to the west of the town ofMaryborough, and surrounding countryside. The shire covered an area of 2,007.9 square kilometres (775.3 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1914 until 2008, when it was amalgamated with theCity of Maryborough,City of Hervey Bay and the 1st and 2nd divisions of theShire of Tiaro to form theFraser Coast Region.
Industry in the shire consisted of beef cattle, sugar, timber and light industry servicing Maryborough.
Woocoo was proclaimed a shire under theLocal Authorities Act 1902 on 4 December 1914, with its centre of administration atBrooweena. It had previously been part of theShire of Tiaro, and also included parts of the Shires ofAntigua andHoward. The shire was named for Mount Woocoo, which itself was probably named for the localAboriginal word for "echidna". It held its first meeting on 30 January 1915.
In 1922, the residents of theWoocoo Shire erected a war memorial outside St Mary's Church of England on the Maryborough-Biggenden Road inTeebar (now withinBoompa). TheWoocoo Shire War Memorial was unveiled on Saturday 6 January 1923 by Major-GeneralThomas William Glasgow.[2] In 1992 the memorial was relocated to the Woocoo Historical Museum inBrooweena due to concerns about vandalism and is now known as theBrooweena War Memorial.[3][4]
On 27 March 1976, the Shire of Woocoo grew by 1,269.00 square kilometres (489.96 sq mi) when the Shire of Burrum was renamedShire of Hervey Bay and recast as a local government area centred on theHervey Bay urban area. TheLocal Government (Maryborough and Woocoo) Regulation 1993, which took effect on 31 March 1994, resulted inMaryborough's annexation of about 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi) of Woocoo's area. At this time, Woocoo was resubdivided into three divisions each electing two councillors.
On 15 March 2008, under theLocal Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by theParliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, Woocoo merged with theCity of Hervey Bay,City of Maryborough and part ofTiaro to form theFraser Coast Region.
The Shire of Woocoo included the following settlements:
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 777 |
| 1947 | 750 |
| 1954 | 660 |
| 1961 | 640 |
| 1966 | 567 |
| 1971 | 491[1] |
| 1976 | 3,412 |
| 1981 | 4,456 |
| 1986 | 2,700 |
| 1991 | 3,429[2] |
| 1996 | 2,902 |
| 2001 | 2,964 |
| 2006 | 3,351 |
1961-1973: Charles Ronald Sutton "Ron" Smith[6][article in the Maryborough Chronicle early 1973 (also personal family history - my uncle)]
25°30′36.9″S152°38′40.34″E / 25.510250°S 152.6445389°E /-25.510250; 152.6445389