Gilgandra Shire

This article is about the local government area. For the regional town, see Gilgandra, New South Wales.

Gilgandra Shire is a local government area in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the junction of the Newell, Oxley and Castlereagh highways and can be reached in about six hours by car from Sydney CBD. The Shire lies on the Castlereagh River and includes part of the Warrumbungles National Park. The shire was constituted in 1906.

Gilgandra Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	31°42′S 148°41′E
Population	4,236 (2016 census)[1] 4,226 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	0.87593/km2 (2.2686/sq mi)
Established	1906
Area	4,836 km2 (1,867.2 sq mi)
Mayor	Doug Batten (Independent)
Council seat	Gilgandra
Region	Orana
State electorate(s)	Barwon
Federal division(s)	Parkes
Website	Gilgandra Shire
LGAs around Gilgandra Shire: Warren Coonamble Warrumbungle Warren Gilgandra Shire Warrumbungle Narromine Dubbo Warrumbungle

The mayor of Gilgandra Shire Council is Cr. Doug Batten, an independent politician.

Settlements and geography

Gilgandra Shire includes Gilgandra, Balladoran and Curban.

The geography of the Gilgandra Shire is very flat. The soil is composed mostly of sand, making it very porous and difficult to grow certain plants. The weather is hot and dry, reaching 40 °C (104 °F) for consecutive days during summer.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Selected historical census data for Gilgandra Shire local government area
Census year			2011[3]	2016[1]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	4,386	4,236
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales	115th	115th
		% of New South Wales population
		% of Australian population
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		English
		Australian
		Italian
		Chinese
		Irish
Language, top responses (other than English)		Italian
		Mandarin
		Cantonese
		Korean
		Greek
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic
		No religion
		Anglican
		Eastern Orthodox
		Buddhism
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income	A$
		% of Australian median income
Family income		Median weekly family income
		% of Australian median income
Household income		Median weekly household income
		% of Australian median income

Heritage listings

Gilgandra Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• East Coonamble Road, Curban: Corduroy Road Ruin Historic Site^[4]
• Myrtle Street, Gilgandra: St Ambrose Church^[5]

Council

Current composition and election method

Gilgandra Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021.

Party		Councillors
	Independents	9
	Total	9

Election results

2024

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 New South Wales local elections in Orana § Gilgandra results.[edit]

2024 New South Wales local elections: Gilgandra^[6][7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent National	Ashley Walker (elected 1)	376	15.4	+2.2
	Independent	Madeline Foran (elected 2)	315	12.9	+12.9
	Independent	Ian Freeth (elected 3)	298	12.2	+1.7
	Independent	Paul Mann (elected 4)	288	11.8	−1.7
	Independent	Doug Batten (elected 5)	249	10.2	−0.3
	Independent	Nicholas White (elected 6)	222	9.1	+2.8
	Independent National	Greg Peart (elected 7)	176	7.2	+0.8
	Independent	Gail Babbage	174	7.1	−2.4
	Independent	Brian Mockler (elected 9)	173	7.1	−0.4
	Independent	Amber Bunter (elected 8)	163	6.7	−1.0
Total formal votes			2,434	95.5	−2.0
Informal votes			114	4.5	+2.0
Turnout			2,548	79.5	−1.1

2021

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2021 New South Wales local elections in Orana § Gilgandra.[edit]

2021 New South Wales local elections: Gilgandra^[9][10][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Paul Mann (elected)	337	13.5
	Independent National	Ashley Walker (elected)	328	13.2
	Independent	Ian Freeth (elected)	263	10.6
	Independent	Doug Batten (elected)	262	10.5
	Independent	Gail Babbage (elected)	238	9.6
	Independent	Noel Mudford (elected)	206	8.3
	Independent	Amber Bunter (elected)	193	7.7
	Independent	Brian Mockler (elected)	188	7.5
	Independent National	Greg Peart (elected)	160	6.4
	Independent	Helen Naef	160	6.4
	Independent	Nicholas White	157	6.3
Total formal votes			2,492	97.6
Informal votes			60	2.4
Turnout			2,552	80.6