Whitsunday Region

The Whitsunday Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by two previous local government areas with a history extending back to the establishment of regional local government in Queensland in 1879.

Whitsunday Region Queensland
Location within Queensland
Aerial view of Proserpine, the service & administrative centre and ultimately gateway to the region by road, rail and air
Population	37,152 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	1.55976/km2 (4.03977/sq mi)
Established	2008
Area	23,819 km2 (9,196.6 sq mi)[2]
Mayor	Ry Collins[3]
Council seat	Proserpine
Region	North Queensland
State electorate(s)	Whitsunday Burdekin
Federal division(s)	Dawson Capricornia
Website	Whitsunday Region
LGAs around Whitsunday Region: Burdekin Coral Sea Coral Sea Charters Towers Whitsunday Region Coral Sea Isaac Isaac Mackay

It has an estimated operating budget of A$48.8m.

In the 2021 census, the Whitsunday Region had a population of 37,152 people.^[1]

History

Prior to 2008, the new Whitsunday Region was an entire area of two previous and distinct local government areas:

• the Shire of Bowen;
• and the Shire of Whitsunday.

The Bowen Municipality was constituted on 7 August 1863 under the Municipalities Act 1858 (a piece of New South Wales legislation inherited by Queensland at its separation four years earlier). On 11 November 1879, the Wangaratta Division was created as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Wangaratta became a shire and Bowen became a town on 31 March 1903.

On 19 January 1910, the Shire of Proserpine was excised from Wangaratta. It was renamed on 18 February 1989.

On 2 April 1960, the Town of Bowen was abolished, and merged into the Shire of Wangaratta, which was renamed Bowen.^[4]

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that the two areas amalgamate.^[5] Both councils and residents across the board opposed amalgamation, although amalgamation with each other was the preferred option of each if forced to choose. On 15 March 2008, the Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

In 2012, a petition signed by over 1600 people requested that the Whitsunday Region be de-amalgamated. Although the number of signatories was sufficiently large, the Queensland Government refused the request for a de-amalgamation vote arguing that the financial modelling did not show that deamalgamation would be financially viable.^[6]

In March 2017, many areas of the Whitsunday Region were damaged by Cyclone Debbie. The Proserpine Council Chambers was extensively damaged.^[7]

Cyclone Debbie recovery

A new $6 million council administration building will be constructed in Proserpine during late 2018/2019, after this facility is completed workers that are temporarily being housed in Cannonvale will re-locate back to Proserpine. This will be a major new building that will also include a new disaster hub and resilience center.^[8]

Wards

The council is split into six divisions, each returning one councillor, plus a mayor.

Towns and localities

The Whitsunday Region includes the following settlements:

Bowen area: Bowen Collinsville Binbee Bogie Brisk Bay Gumlu Guthalungra Inveroona Merinda Mount Coolon Mount Wyatt Newlands Queens Beach Scottville Springlands

Whitsunday area: Proserpine Airlie Beach Andromache Brandy Creek Breadalbane Cannon Valley Cannonvale Cape Conway Cape Gloucester Conway Conway Beach Crystal Brook Daydream Island Dingo Beach Dittmer Flametree

Foxdale Glen Isla Gloucester Island Goorganga Creek Goorganga Plains Gregory River Gunyarra Hamilton Island Hamilton Plains Hayman Island Hideaway Bay Jubilee Pocket Kelsey Creek Laguna Quays Lake Proserpine Lethebrook Mandalay

Mount Julian Mount Marlow Mount Pluto Mount Rooper Myrtlevale Palm Grove Pauls Pocket Preston Riordanvale Shute Harbour Silver Creek Strathdickie Sugarloaf Thoopara Wilson Beach Woodwark

Libraries

The Whitsunday Regional Council operate public libraries at Bowen, Cannonvale, Collinsville, and Proserpine.^[9]

Heritage register

The Whitsunday Regional Council maintains the Whitsunday Local Heritage Register.^[10]

Demographics

Proserpine, a major population centre in the Whitsunday Region, home to the region's hospital, railway station, airport and a variety of educational facilities from early education up to secondary school.

Year	Population (Total)	Population (Bowen)	Population (Whitsunday)	Notes
1933	11,477	7,543	3,934	[citation needed]
1947	11,700	8,083	3,617	[citation needed]
1954	13,094	8,518	4,576	[citation needed]
1961	14,604	9,491	5,113	[citation needed]
1966	15,616	9,342	6,274	[citation needed]
1971	16,651	10,231	6,420	[citation needed]
1976	19,038	11,292	7,746	[citation needed]
1981	24,478	13,645	10,833	[citation needed]
1986	25,945	14,364	11,581	[citation needed]
1991	29,388	14,161	15,227	[citation needed]
1996	31,202	14,411	16,791	[citation needed]
2001	32,021	13,698	18,323	[citation needed]
2006	36,158	14,625	21,533	[citation needed]
2011	31,426	[11]
2016	33,778	[12]
2021	37,152	[1]

List of mayors

#	Name	Party		Years in office
1	Mike Brunker[13]		Labor	2008–2012
2	Jennifer Whitney[14]		Independent	2012–2016
3	Andrew Willcox[15][16]		Liberal National	2016–2022
4	Julie Hall[17]		One Nation	2022–present

See also

• Whitsunday

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Whitsunday Region (LGA)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
3. "Collins' victory confirmed in Whitsundays mayor race". News Corp. Courier Mail. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
4. "Order in Council". Queensland Government Gazette. 4 February 1960. p. 203:477-478.
5. Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 340–345. ISBN 978-1-921057-11-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 March 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
6. "No de-amalgamation for Whitsundays". Whitsunday Times. 20 September 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
7. "Proserpine Council Chamber damaged in Cyclone Debbie". Whitsunday Regional Council. 1 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
8. "$5m funding windfall for Proserpine". Whitsunday Regional Council. 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
9. "Opening hours and locations". Whitsunday Regional Council. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
10. "History and Heritage". Whitsunday Regional Council. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
11. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Whitsunday Region (LGA)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
12. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Whitsunday Region (LGA)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
13. "2008 Whitsunday Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
14. "2012 Whitsunday Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
15. "2016 Whitsunday Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
16. "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
17. "Mayors and Councillors".

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