Central Darling Shire
Central Darling Shire is a local government area in the Far West, [New South Wales|Far West] region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Barrier Highway. Central Darling Shire was constituted in 1959 and at, it is the largest incorporated local government area in New South Wales.
The Central Darling Shire Council left over a decade under administration in December of 2025 under the new Regional and Remote Council structure with a half elected and half appointed council. The Chairperson of the council, an appointed office equivalent to a mayor, is the former administrator Bob Stewart.
History
Central Darling Shire was preceded by the Municipality of Wilcannia.Decade under administration
In 2014 the council placed under administration for a period of three months. Following a public inquiry, councillors were removed from office and an administrator originally appointed for three months had his term extended and at September 2018 was still acting in this capacity. It was expected that the council be removed from administration in September 2020, however as of 2024, the council remained under administration.An election was held on 20 September 2025. Now designated a Rural and Remote Council, three councillors are elected by the community, and three are appointed by the NSW Government.
Towns and villages
The Shire includes the towns of Ivanhoe, Menindee, Sunset Strip, Tilpa, Wilcannia and White Cliffs.Council
Current structure
Central Darling Shire Council operates under the Regional and Remote Council structure. It is composed of six councillors, half elected by the people of Central Darling Shire, and the other three appointed by the Minister for Local Government.The council has an appointed Chairperson, currently Bob Stewart, and an elected Deputy Chairperson, who will be elected by the council at its inaugural meeting in December.
Previous councils
Former council structure
Central Darling Shire Council was formerly composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as three multi-member wards, each electing three councillors. All councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor was elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The final election to be held under this system was on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the council at the time of moving to Administration was as follows:The previous Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, is:
Demographics
Selected statistics for the shire are set out below:Economic activity
The principal economic activities within the Shire include pastoral, horticultural, agricultural, mining and tourism. Rural grazing properties represent the largest land use within the Shire, accounting for 97% of the entire area. Major horticultural and agricultural production is centred on Menindee. The relative ease of access to water from the Darling River and Menindee Lakes Storage Scheme enables producers to grow a large variety of crops and fruits.Opal mining has been the predominant mining industry within the Shire. Opal was discovered in White Cliffs in 1884 and the first commercial opal field commenced operation in 1890, reaching its peak in 1899.