Byron Shire New South Wales |
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Location within New South Wales
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Coordinates | 28°33′S 153°30′E / 28.550°S 153.500°ECoordinates: 28°33′S 153°30′E / 28.550°S 153.500°E | ||||||||||||
Population | 32,723 (2015 Est) | ||||||||||||
• Density | 57.743/km2 (149.554/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
Established | 1906 | ||||||||||||
Area | 566.7 km2 (218.8 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
Mayor | Simon Richardson | ||||||||||||
Council seat | Mullumbimby | ||||||||||||
Region | Northern Rivers | ||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Ballina | ||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Richmond | ||||||||||||
Website | Byron Shire | ||||||||||||
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Byron Shire is a local government area located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The shire is located adjacent to the Tasman Sea about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of the Queensland border. The shire, administered from the town of Mullumbimby, covers an area of 566.7 square kilometres (218.8 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1906. The shire was named for Cape Byron, itself named by Captain Cook in May 1770 in honour of Vice-Admiral John Byron.
The Mayor of Byron Shire Council is Simon Richardson, a member of the Greens.
Byron Shire was created on 7 March 1906 under the Shires Act 1906 (NSW) as one of 134 local government areas in regional New South Wales. On 16 May 1906, a temporary council of five members was appointed to administer it, and elections were held in November. On 4 December, the council convened for the first time with William Baker as its inaugural president. William Baker was born in Great Stanmore, England. His cousin, Alfred Joseph Baker was the first person to score a goal in international football against Scotland in 1870.
On 1 July 1908, the Mullumbimby Municipality was created out of part of Byron. On 1 October 1980, the municipality and the shire were re-amalgamated by direction of the Minister for Local Government.
At the 2011 census, there were 29,209 people in the Byron local government area, of these 48.9 per cent were male and 51.1 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.8 per cent of the population, which was lower than the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Byron Shire area was 42 years, which was slightly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.5 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.3 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 38.4 per cent were married and 18.2 per cent were either divorced or separated.