Bland Shire

Bland Shire
New South Wales

Location in New South Wales
Coordinates 33°56′S 147°15′E / 33.933°S 147.250°E / -33.933; 147.250Coordinates: 33°56′S 147°15′E / 33.933°S 147.250°E / -33.933; 147.250
Population 5,959 (2015 est)[1]
 • Density 0.6961/km2 (1.8030/sq mi)
Area 8,560 km2 (3,305.0 sq mi)
Mayor Tony Lord (Unaligned)
Council seat West Wyalong[2]
Region Central West
State electorate(s) Cootamundra
Federal Division(s)
Website Bland Shire
LGAs around Bland Shire:
Carrathool Lachlan Forbes
Carrathool Bland Shire Weddin
Griffith Narrandera Temora

Bland Shire is a local government area located on the boundary between the central west and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Newell and Mid-Western highways.

The council's name honours William Bland.[3]

The largest town and council seat is West Wyalong. The region also includes the towns of Wyalong, Barmedman, Tallimba, Ungarie, Weethalle and Mirrool. The major economic activities of the shire are agriculture, mining, transport, tourism and wholesale distribution.

The mayor of Bland Shire Council is Cr. Tony Lord, who is unaligned with any political party.

Council

Current composition and election method

Bland 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 10 September 2016, and the make-up of the council is as follows:[4]

PartyCouncillors
  Independents and Unaligned 9
Total 9

The current Council, elected in 2016, in order of election, is:[4]

CouncillorPartyNotes
  Liz McGlynn Unaligned
  Kerry Keatley Unaligned Deputy Mayor[5]
  Tony Lord Unaligned Mayor
  Penny English Independent
  Brian Monaghan Independent
  Murray Thomas Independent
  Rodney Crowe Independent
  Jan Wyse Unaligned Deputy Mayor
  Bruce Baker Unaligned

Environment

Average annual rainfall is 482 millimetres (19.0 in). Average temperature are: maximum 23.3 °C (73.9 °F), minimum 9.5 °C (49.1 °F). The prevailing wind direction is north east in the morning and south west in the afternoon and evening, with predominantly calm conditions. Topography is generally undulating or flat, with the altitude ranging from 200 to 486 metres (656–1,594 ft). Main tree species include: kurrajong, cypress pine, mallee, box, ironbark, belah and wilga. Native fauna include: water fowl, red and grey kangaroos, echidnas, goannas, possums, bats and mallee fowls. Soil are predominantly clay with some granite soil and red brown earth, mostly neutral in pH. Native pasture plants include: wallaby grasses, Queensland blue grass and plains and wire grass.

History

The farm community of Bland Shire, West Wyalong was a former gold prospecting site in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia,[6] The history of Bland Shire has, in part, been documented by West Wyalong Movies.

In 2013, the community joined Dull, Perthshire, Scotland and Boring, Oregon, USA[7] to create a "League of Extraordinary Communities" to group Dull, Boring and Bland[8][9] as a means of encouraging travel,[8] promoting all three communities.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2014–15". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Bland Shire Council". Division of Local Government. Retrieved 1 December 2006.
  3. ↑ Scascighini, Jonh. "West Wyalong". West Wyalong Town Crier. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Bland Shire Council: Summary of First Preference Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2016. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Neil Pokoney returned as Bland Shire Mayor" (PDF) (Press release). Bland Shire Council. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  6. ↑ "Dull and Boring story also to become Bland?". Highland Perthshire News. 12 July 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  7. ↑ "Bland hopes to join Dull and Boring - Perth & Kinross". The Courier (UK). 2013-06-01. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  8. 1 2 "Bland joins Dull and Boring". The Daily Advertiser. 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  9. ↑ "Scots town Dull joins forces with Bland and Boring". The Scotsman. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  10. ↑ "Bland, Dull and Boring: Three towns team up to excite tourists". MSN. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  11. ↑ Baskas, Harriet (2014-04-25). "Dull, Boring and Bland Team Up to Lure Tourists". NBC News. Retrieved 2014-08-09.

External links

Media related to Bland Shire at Wikimedia Commons

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