The Shire of Burdekin is a local government area located in North Queensland, Australia in the Dry Tropics region. The district is located between Townsville and Bowen in the delta of the Burdekin River. The shire covers an area of 5,044 square kilometres (1,947 sq mi). It has existed as a local government entity since 1888. In the 2021 census, the Shire of Burdekin had a population of 16,692 people.

History

Yuru (also known as Juru, Euronbba, Juru, Mal Mal, Malmal) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuru country. The Yuru language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Burdekin, including the town of Home Hill.

On 16 January 1888, the Ayr Division was created out of Subdivision 3 of the Thuringowa Division in 1888 under the Divisional Boards Act 1887.

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Ayr Division became the Shire of Ayr on 31 March 1903.

On 12 June 1982, the Shire of Ayr was renamed the Shire of Burdekin, a change long desired by the residents of Home Hill.

Council members were elected to represent different divisions within the shire until the election of March 1994 at which all council members are elected by all shire residents. The title of Mayor replaced the former title of Shire Chairman and the title of Shire Clerk was replaced by Chief Executive Officer from that same election.

New shire chambers were opened on 9 October 1999. The cost was $2.8 million.

From 2000, council elections were held every four years to elect a mayor and ten councillors. From 2008, this was reduced to a mayor and six councillors.

Facilities

The public library headquarters of the Burdekin Shire Council Library Services is located at 108 Graham Street, Ayr. The Burdekin Shire also operate a public library in Home Hill at 77-79 Ninth Avenue. Both libraries opened in 1984.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Burdekin includes the following settlements:

Demographics

Year	Population	Notes
1933	12,073
1947	12,462
1954	15,208
1961	16,758
1966	18,693
1971	17,443
1976	18,421
1981	18,477
1986	18,337
1991	18,148
1996	18,870
2001 census	18,234
2006 census	17,020
2011 census	17,364
2016 census	17,074
2021 census	16,692

Council

Burdekin Shire Council
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Mayor	Lyn McLaughlin, Independent
Deputy Mayor	Sue Perry, Independent
Structure
Seats	7 elected representatives, including a Mayor and 6 councillors
Political groups	Majority:   Independent (6) Minority:   Liberal National (1)
Elections
Last election	28 March 2020
Next election	16 March 2024

Below is the current council, elected in 2020:

Councillor	Party		Notes
Kaylee Boccolatti		Liberal National
John Bonanno		Independent
Michael Detenon		Independent
John Furnell		Independent
Lyn McLaughlin		Independent	Mayor
Max Musumeci		Independent
Sue Perry		Independent	Deputy Mayor

Chairmen and mayors

Dates	Chairman / Mayors	Notes
1896	James Henry Rae
1888	Charles Young
1896	J. H. Rae
1927	Herbert Barsby
1952–1970	E.W. Ford
1970–1976	R. W. Rossiter
1976–1982	F.J. Mills
1982–1991	J.W. Trace
1991–1994	E.N. Honeycombe
1994–2004	John F. Woods	First to use the title "Mayor"
2004–2012	Lynette Angela (Lyn) McLaughlin
2012–2016	William Charles (Bill) Lowis
2016–present	Lynette Angela (Lyn) McLaughlin