Whitsunday Region (a.k.a. 'The Whitsundays')
Although the present Whitsunday Regional Council results from the Queensland Government's 2008 local government amalgamations, its precedents trace back to the establishment of regional local government in Queensland in 1879.
In addition, the regional centres of Bowen, Proserpine, Collinsville and Cannonvale/Airlie Beach have often been considered a single entity for administrative and sporting purposes.
The area was originally the Wangaratta Division under the 1879 Divisional Boards Act, with Bowen as a separate municipality (from 7 August 1863).
With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Wangaratta became a shire, and Bowen became a town on 31 March 1903.
Eight years later, on 19 January 1910, a new Shire of Proserpine was excised from Wangaratta. It became the Shire of Whitsunday on 18 February 1989.
In the meantime, Wangaratta Shire and Bowen Town operated as separate entities until they were merged into a new Bowen Shire on 2 April 1960.
Those arrangements continued until July 2007, when the Local Government Reform Commission recommended that the Bowen and Proserpine Shires amalgamate to form a new Whitsunday Regional Council.
While that arrangement took effect on 15 March 2008, the change produced widespread dissatisfaction with the new arrangements. Although a 2012 petition for de-amalgamation attracted 1600 signatures, the Queensland Government argued that their financial modelling suggested de-amalgamation would not be financially viable.
The Whitsunday Region includes the following localities:
Bowen area:
Bowen
Collinsville
Binbee
Bogie
Brisk Bay
Gumlu
Guthalungra
Inveroona
Merinda
Mount Coolon
Mount Wyatt
Newlands
Queens Beach
Scottville
Springlands
Whitsunday area:
Proserpine
Airlie Beach
Andromache
Brandy Creek
Breadalbane
Cannon Valley
Cannonvale
Cape Conway
Cape Gloucester
Conway
Conway Beach
Crystal Brook
Daydream Island
Dingo Beach
Dittmer
Flametree
Foxdale
Glen Isla
Gloucester Island
Goorganga Creek
Goorganga Plains
Gregory River
Gunyarra
Hamilton Island
Hamilton Plains
Hayman Island
Hideaway Bay
Jubilee Pocket
Kelsey Creek
Laguna Quays
Lake Proserpine
Lethebrook
Mandalay
Mount Julian
Mount Marlow
Mount Pluto
Mount Rooper
Myrtlevale
Palm Grove
Pauls Pocket
Preston
Riordanvale
Shute Harbour
Silver Creek
Strathdickie
Sugarloaf
Thoopara
Wilson Beach
Woodwark
Image:
Whitsunday Regional Council area (CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Sources:
Wikipedia
Links to add:
Airlie Beach
Bowen Town Council
Cannonvale
Collinsville
Proserpine
Proserpine/Whitsunday Shire
Wangaratta Division/Shire
