# Bourke Shire

Bourke Shire is a local government area in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Darling River, which is known as the Barwon River upstream from Bourke; and located adjacent to the Mitchell Highway. The northern boundary of the Shire is located adjacent to the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The shire is a wool and beef producing area.
The mayor of Bourke Shire Council is Cr. Barry Hollman, an unaligned politician.

## History

The Bourke LGA (local government area) was traditionally home to around fifteen Aboriginal groups. The people of the region were traditionally hunter-gatherers as well as seed harvesters, who managed the environment. These traditional landowners have been identified as belonging to five main groups, the Ngiyampaa, Barranbinya, Paruntji, Naualko, and Muruwari peoples. Aboriginal people consulted for a 2019 Aboriginal heritage study identified the Bourke LGA as the traditional country of the Barkindji people, Bardaji people, Murrawari (Muruwari) people, Nyemba (Ngiyampaa) people, and Nyirrpa people, who each occupied different areas. The boundaries of the land they occupied were defined largely by rivers, landforms, and areas of access to seasonal environmental resources.

## Main towns and villages

Bourke Shire includes Bourke and the very small outback towns of Byrock, Enngonia, Fords Bridge, Wanaaring and Louth.

## Demographics

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics during 2003–04 there:
* were 1,062 wage and salary earners (ranked 141st in New South Wales and 457th in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's 2,558,415 and Australia's 7,831,856)
* was a total income of $36 million (ranked 137th in New South Wales and 449th in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's $107 billion and Australia's $304 billion)
* was an estimated average income per wage and salary earner of $33,611 (ranked 88th in New South Wales and 298th in Australia, 81% of New South Wales's $41,407 and 87% of Australia's $38,820)
* was an estimated median income per wage and salary earner of $32,426 (ranked 71st in New South Wales and 235th in Australia, 91% of New South Wales's $35,479 and 95% of Australia's $34,149).
Selected historical census data for Bourke Shire local government area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2011 | 2016 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 2,868 | 2,634 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 122nd | 125th |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 38.3% | 39.4% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | 23.8% | 22.1% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian Aboriginal | 4.0% | 4.7% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Nepali | n/c | 0.7% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Tok Pisin (Neomelanesian) | n/c | 0.3% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Spanish | n/c | 0.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Arabic | n/c | 0.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Urdu | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 41.5% | 36.5% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Not stated | n/c | 20.1% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 21.1% | 17.7% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion | 8.6% | 12.7% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Presbyterian and Reformed | 4.5% | 3.6% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$600 | A$719 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | 104.0% | 108.6% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | A$1238 | A$1562 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | 83.6% | 90.1% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | A$1085 | A$1243 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | 87.9% | 86.4% |

## Council
### Current composition and election method

Bourke Shire Council is composed of ten 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 makeup of the council is as follows:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Independents and Unaligned | 10 |
| | Total | 10 |
The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:
| Councillor | Party | Notes |
| Victor Bartley | Independent | |
| Sarah Barton | Independent | |
| Sally Davis | Unaligned | |
| Cec Dorrington | Unaligned | |
| Lachlan Ford | Independent | Deputy Mayor |
| Barry Hollman | Unaligned | Mayor |
| Samuel Rice | Independent | |
| Grace Ridge | Unaligned | |
| Nathan Ryan | Independent | |
| Bob Stutsel | Independent | |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Bourke :
| Party | Party | Candidate |
| | Independent | Francis Kerr |
| | Independent | Maxime Nina |
| | Independent | Sarah Barton |
| | Independent | Nathan Ryan |
| | Independent | Lachlan Ford |
| | Independent | Patricia Bates-Canty |
| | Independent | Samuel Rice |
| | Independent | Scott McAdam |
| | Independent | Victor Bartley |
| | Independent | Grace Ridge |
| | Independent | Cecil Dorrington |
| | Independent | Kylie Baty |
| | Independent | Bob Stutsel |
| | Independent | Sally Davis |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout |

### 2021

2021 New South Wales local elections: Bourke :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Independent | Victor Bartley (elected) | unopposed |
| | Independent | Sarah Barton (elected) | unopposed |
| | Independent | Sally Davis (elected) | unopposed |
| | Independent | Cec Dorrington (elected) | unopposed |
| | Independent | Lachlan Ford (elected) | unopposed |
| | Independent | Barry Hollman (elected) | unopposed |
| | Independent | Samuel Rice (elected) | unopposed |
| | Independent | Grace Ridge (elected) | unopposed |
| | Independent | Nathan Ryan (elected) | unopposed |
| | Independent | Bob Stutsel (elected) | unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,775 |

## Notable persons

In 1884, Sid 'Combo' Ross set a record by shearing nine lambs in nine minutes.
Scottish-Australian poet balladeer Will. H. Ogilvie (1869–1963) worked on Belalie Station on the Warrego River, composed many of his poems in the 1890s. Belalie is between the township of Enngonia (formerly Eringunia) and the Queensland border.