The Shire of Eidsvold was a local government area in the northern catchment of the Burnett River, Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government area from 1890 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other shires to form the North Burnett Region.
The major activities in the shire were beef cattle raising and forestry, and some irrigated properties existed along the Burnett and Nogo Rivers. Eidsvold was named after the Norwegian town of Eidsvoll, where the Norwegian declaration of freedom was signed in 1814.
The Eidsvold district is the self-proclaimed Beef Capital of the Burnett and is a hub for the regional cattle industry.
History
The Eidsvold Division was proclaimed on 25 January 1890, initially with a chairman and six councillors, and the first meeting took place on 14 May 1890.
With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Eidsvold Division became the Shire of Eidsvold on 31 March 1903. The original shire included both the towns of Eidsvold and Monto, and in the late 1920s, its administrative centre moved to Watt Street, Monto.
On 3 March 1932, an Order in Council dissolved the Shire of Eidsvold, and created the Shire of Monto from parts of Eidsvold and Mundubbera, and a new Shire of Eidsvold from parts of the old Eidsvold, Mundubbera and Perry. The new council had 5 members compared to 12 in the previous incarnation.
On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Eidsvold merged with the Shires of Biggenden, Gayndah, Monto, Mundubbera and Perry to form the North Burnett Region.
Towns and localities The Shire of Eidsvold included the following settlements:
Eidsvold Abercorn Ceratodus Wuruma Dam
Chairmen 1880–1898: William McCord 1927: C. E. K. McCord
Population Year Population 1933 1,475 1947 1,313 1954 1,311 1961 1,242 1966 1,702 1971 1,222 1976 1,231 1981 1,256 1986 1,212 1991 1,028 1996 970 2001 933 2006 876
References