| Shire of Biggenden Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location withinQueensland | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,506 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 1.1457/km2 (2.9673/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1905 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 1,314.5 km2 (507.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Website | Shire of Biggenden | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
TheShire of Biggenden was alocal government area located in the northern catchment of theBurnett River,Queensland, Australia, 100 kilometres (62 mi) south-southwest of the regional city ofBundaberg. The shire covered an area of 1,314.5 square kilometres (507.5 sq mi), and existed as a local government area from 1905 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other shires to become theNorth Burnett Region.
Primary production is the most significant industry in the region withbeef anddairy cattle being predominant. Other agricultural pursuits include grain crops, piggeries,peanuts,citrus andtimber. The area is also rich in minerals. Biggenden Mine is located 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Biggenden along theIsis Highway.Gold,bismuth and more recentlymagnetite have been extracted from the mine.
The biggest landmarks in the region areMount Walsh, which can be seen prominently over much of the shire andParadise Dam, a largereservoir formed by the damming of theBurnett River.
On 3 June 1905, the No. 2 division of theShire of Burrum was excised to create theShire of Degilbo.[2][3]
On 12 July 1941, the Shire of Degilbo was renamed to become the Shire of Biggenden.[2][4][5]
On 15 March 2008, under theLocal Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by theParliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Biggenden merged with the Shires ofEidsvold,Gayndah,Monto,Mundubbera andPerry to form theNorth Burnett Region.[4][6]
The Shire of Biggenden included the following settlements:
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 2,476 |
| 1947 | 2,179 |
| 1954 | 1,974 |
| 1961 | 1,882 |
| 1966 | 1,722 |
| 1971 | 1,639 |
| 1976 | 1,532 |
| 1981 | 1,411 |
| 1986 | 1,553 |
| 1991 | 1,574 |
| 1996 | 1,570 |
| 2001 | 1,486 |
| 2006 | 1,506 |
25°30′36.22″S152°02′34.85″E / 25.5100611°S 152.0430139°E /-25.5100611; 152.0430139