Warrumbungle Shire

This article is about the local government area. For the mountain range, see Warrumbungles. For the national park, see Warrumbungle National Park.

The Warrumbungle Shire is a local government area in the central western region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is traversed by the Newell Highway. The Warrumbungle mountain range and Warrumbungles National Park are major tourist attractions for the Shire. Its seat is located in Coonabarabran, a town in the southwest.

Warrumbungle Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	31°15′S 149°16′E
Population	9,384 (2016 census)[1] 9,399 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	0.7580/km2 (1.9632/sq mi)
Established	2004
Area	12,380 km2 (4,779.9 sq mi)
Mayor	Denis Todd (Unaligned)
Council seat	Coonabarabran[3]
Region	Orana
State electorate(s)	Barwon
Federal division(s)	Parkes
Website	Warrumbungle Shire
LGAs around Warrumbungle Shire: Coonamble Narrabri Gunnedah & Tamworth Gilgandra Warrumbungle Shire Liverpool Plains Dubbo Dubbo Upper Hunter

The mayor of Warrumbungle Shire Council is Cr. Kathryn Rindfleish, who is unaligned with any political party.

Main towns and villages

The Shire incorporates the towns of Binnaway, Coolah, Coonabarabran, Dunedoo, Baradine and Mendooran.

Heritage listings

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

• Coolah, 74 Binnia Street: Old Police Station and Courthouse^[4]
• Coonabarabran, Oxley Highway: Burra Bee Dee Mission^[5]
• Dunedoo, Wallerawang-Gwabegar railway: Dunedoo railway station^[6]
• Kenebri, Old Wooleybah Road: Wooleybah Sawmill and Settlement^[7]

Demographics

Selected historical census data for Warrumbungle Shire local government area
Census year			2011[8]	2016[1]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	9,588	9,384
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales	93rd	92nd
		% of New South Wales population
		% of Australian population
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		English		30.8%
		Australian		36.3%
		Scottish		7.7%
		German		2.7%
		Irish		7.6%
Language, top responses (other than English)		German		0.3%
		Mandarin
		Cantonese
		Korean
		Greek		0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic		21.8%
		No religion		20.6%
		Anglican		30.7%
		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

Council

The Shire was created in 2004 by the amalgamation of Coolah and Coonabarabran Shire councils. Following amalgamation, the Shire was run by an administrator, until elections were held in March 2005.

Current composition and election method

Warrumbungle 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 most recent election was held in 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows:^[9]

The current Council, elected in 2021, is:^[9]

Councillor	Party		Notes
Kathryn Rindfleish		Unaligned
Jason Newton		Unaligned
Zoe Holcombe		Unaligned
Ray Lewis		Unaligned
Debra Bell		Unaligned
Dale Hogden		Unaligned
Kodi Brady		Unaligned
Denis Todd		Unaligned
Naomi Taylor		Unaligned

The mayor is elected by the councillors every two years. At the last mayoral election held 21 September 2023, Cr Rindfleish was elected as mayor and Cr Newton elected as deputy mayor.

Election results

2024

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

2024 New South Wales local elections: Warrumbungle

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Zoe Holcombe (elected)	unopposed
	Independent	Ray Lewis (elected)	unopposed
	Independent	Debra Ball (elected)	unopposed
	Independent	Kathryn Rindfleish (elected)	unopposed
	Independent	Dale Hogden (elected)	unopposed
	Independent	Kodi Brady (elected)	unopposed
	Independent	Denis Todd (elected)	unopposed
	Independent	Naomi Taylor (elected)	unopposed
	Independent	Jason Newton (elected)	unopposed
Registered electors

See also

• New South Wales portal

• List of local government areas in New South Wales