Shire of Murgon Queensland |
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Location within Queensland
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Population | 3,454 (2006 census) | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 5.1963/km2 (13.4584/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1914 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 664.7 km2 (256.6 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Council seat | Murgon | ||||||||||||||
Region | South Burnett | ||||||||||||||
Website | Shire of Murgon | ||||||||||||||
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The Shire of Murgon was a local government area in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of 664.7 square kilometres (256.6 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1914 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the South Burnett area to become the South Burnett Regional Council.
Major activities in the shire include peanuts, dairy farming, beef and cattle production and wine.
Murgon was initially part of the Barambah Divisional Board which was proclaimed in 1879, and became part of the Kilkivan division when it split away from Barambah in 1888. In 1910, the Shire of Weinholt (now Wondai) split from Kilkivan, and in 1914, parts of the Weinholt and Kilkivan shires formed independently as the Shire of Murgon.
An area of Murgon known as the Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement, although located entirely within the Shire's boundaries, was functionally separate from the Shire and administered by the Native Affairs Department. On 28 August 1986, a Deed of Grant in Trust was granted to the Cherbourg community, and the Local Government (Community Government Areas) Act 2004 gave Cherbourg formal legal recognition as a local government.
On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Murgon merged with the Shires of Kingaroy, Wondai and Nanango to form the South Burnett Region. Cherbourg continued to be administered by the separate Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council.