Walcha Shire

This article is about the local government area. For the regional town, see Walcha, New South Wales.

Walcha Shire is a local government area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is situated adjacent to the junction of the Oxley Highway and Thunderbolts Way and is 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of the Main North railway line passing through Walcha Road. The shire was formed on 1 June 1955 through the amalgamation of Apsley Shire and the Municipality of Walcha.

Walcha Shire
Local government area
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates: 30°59′S 151°36′E
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Region	New England
Established	1 June 1955 (1955-06-01)
Council seat	Walcha
Government
• Mayor	Janelle Archdale (Unaligned)
• State electorates	Tamworth Northern Tablelands
• Federal division	New England
Area
• Total	6,267 km2 (2,420 sq mi)
Population
• Totals	3,092 (2016 census) 3,132 (2018 est.)
• Density	0.49338/km2 (1.27784/sq mi)
Website	Walcha Shire
LGAs around Walcha Shire Uralla Armidale Kempsey Tamworth Walcha Shire Port Macquarie-Hastings Upper Hunter MidCoast MidCoast

The mayor of Walcha Shire Council is Cr. James Fermanis an unaligned politician.

Main towns and villages

The towns and villages of Walcha Council include Walcha, Walcha Road, Niangala, Nowendoc and Woolbrook. Settlements include: Brackendale, Yarrowitch, Tia and Bendemeer.

Demographics

Selected historical census data for Hay Shire local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011	2016	2021
Population		Estimated residents on census night	3,102	3,187	3,021	3,092	3,016
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			120th	120th	120th
		% of New South Wales population	0.05%	0.05%	0.04%	0.04%	0.04%
		% of Australian population	0.02%	0.02%	0.01%	0.01%	0.01%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			36.5%	36.4%	43.9%
		English			33.0%	28.8%	40.1%
		Scottish			9.2%	9.3%	12.6%
		Irish			9.1%	7.7%	11.9%
		Australian Aboriginal			n/c	n/c	6.1%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Torres Strait Creole	n/c	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.3%
		Dhanggatti	n/c	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.3%
		German	n/c	n/c	0.3%	0.1%	0.2%
		Mandarin	n/c	n/c	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	44.8%	44.6%	42.4%	34.2%	30.3%
		No Religion, so described	6.7%	8.3%	12.8%	18.0%	26.3%
		Catholic	21.2%	20.6%	20.9%	19.4%	17.8%
		Not stated	n/c	n/c	n/c	13.1%	10.5%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	12.7%	13.3%	12.0%	9.9%	8.5%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$377	A$459	A$577	A$690
		% of Australian median income		80.9%	79.5%	87.2%	85.7%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$920	A$1,077	A$1,329	A$1,583
		% of Australian median income		78.6%	72.7%	76.6%	74.7%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$686	A$826	A$1,054	A$1,224
		% of Australian median income		66.8%	66.9%	73.3%	70.1%

Incomes

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics during 2003–04, there:

• were 927 wage and salary earners (ranked 146th in New South Wales and 470th 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 $27,787,248 (around $28 million) (ranked 147th in New South Wales and 478th 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 $29,975 (ranked 153rd in New South Wales and 517th in Australia, 72% of New South Wales's $41,407 and 77% of Australia's $38,820)
• was an estimated median income per wage and salary earner of $27,590 (ranked 154th in New South Wales and 517th in Australia, 78% of New South Wales's $35,479 and 81% of Australia's $34,149).

Heritage listings

There are heritage listings in Walcha, Walcha Road, and in Woolbrook.

The heritage-listed sites in Walcha are:

• Ohio Homestead
• South Street: St Andrew's Anglican Church
• Thee Street: St Andrew's Anglican Rectory

The heritage-listed sites in Walcha Road are:

• Main Northern railway: Walcha Road railway station

The heritage-listed sites in Woolbrook are:

• Woolbrook rail bridge over Macdonald River

Council

Walcha Shire Council

Welcome sign near the Shire boundary.

Current composition and election method

Walcha Shire Council is composed of eight councillors elected proportionally to a single ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is by the councillors at the first meeting of the council.

At the 2012 local government elections, a referendum to abolish the four wards and elect councillors as one entire ward was defeated, with 56.1% voting against the resolution.

Election results

2024

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

2024 New South Wales local elections: Walcha

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Eric Noakes (elected)	806	42.62
	Independent	Rachel Greig (elected)	225	11.90
	Independent	Hyde Thomson (elected)	167	8.83
	Independent	Gary Olrich (elected)	160	8.46
	Independent National	Glen O'Brien (elected)	122	6.45
	Independent	Stephen McCoy (elected)	107	5.66
	Independent	Adam Iuston (elected)	75	3.97
	Independent	Anne-Marie Pointing (elected)	71	3.75
	Independent	Holly Fletcher	42	2.22
	Independent	Michael Luchich	42	2.22
	Independent	Katrina Blomfield	34	1.80
	Independent	Warwick Fletcher	31	1.64
	Independent	Judith Salter	9	0.48
Total formal votes			1,891	97.23
Informal votes			54	2.77
Turnout			1,945	83.76

History

The Shire of Apsley, its predecessor, was constituted by proclamation on 7 March 1906 and is located in the Vernon, Hawes, and Inglis counties, and comprises about 60 parishes. The area is 1,605,590 acres (6,497.6 km²). The Shire of Walcha was constituted by the union of the Municipality of Walcha and the Shire of Apsley on 1 June 1955.

On 28 and 29 November 2008, torrential rain that caused severe flooding in the Apsley River and Macdonald River led to the area being declared a natural disaster area. Walcha Council estimated that it will cost approximately $1.7 million to repair damage caused to roads and infrastructure across the shire.

Proposed amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Walcha Shire merge with adjoining councils. The government considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger of Walcha Shire with the Tamworth Regional Council to form a new council with an area of 16,146 square kilometres (6,234 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 64,000. An alternative proposal, submitted by the Armidale Dumaresq Council on 1 March 2016, was for an amalgamation of the Armidale Dumaresq, Guyra, Uralla and Walcha councils. On 12 May 2016, the merger proposal was struck down – leaving Walcha Council to stand alone as a solo entity.