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.
It has an estimated operating budget of A$48.8m.
In the , the Whitsunday Region had a population of 37,152 people.
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.
In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that the two areas amalgamate. 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.
In March 2017, many areas of the Whitsunday Region were damaged by Cyclone Debbie. The Proserpine Council Chambers was extensively damaged.
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.
Current Council The council is split into six divisions, each returning one councillor, plus a mayor. +DivisionNameNotesPolitical Affiliation -Ry CollinsMayorIndependent1Jan CliffordIndependent2Clay BaumanIndependent3John CollinsIndependent4Michelle WrightIndependent5Gary SimpsonIndependent6John FinlayDeputy MayorIndependent
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.
Heritage register The Whitsunday Regional Council maintains the Whitsunday Local Heritage Register.
Demographics
Year Population(Total) Population(Bowen) Population(Whitsunday) Notes 1933 11,477 7,543 3,934 1947 11,700 8,083 3,617 1954 13,094 8,518 4,576 1961 14,604 9,491 5,113 1966 15,616 9,342 6,274 1971 16,651 10,231 6,420 1976 19,038 11,292 7,746 1981 24,478 13,645 10,833 1986 25,945 14,364 11,581 1991 29,388 14,161 15,227 1996 31,202 14,411 16,791 2001 32,021 13,698 18,323 2006 36,158 14,625 21,533 2011 31,426 2016 33,778 2021 37,152
List of mayors # Name Party Years in office 1 Mike Brunker 2008–2012 2 Jennifer Whitney 2012–2016 3 Andrew Willcox 2016–2022 4 Julie Hall 2022–20245.Ry Collins2024-present
See also Whitsunday
References