Bland Shire

Bland Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates
Population	5,865 (2011 census)
• Density	0.6852/km2 (1.7746/sq mi)
Area	8,560 km2 (3,305.0 sq mi)
Mayor	Neil Pokoney (Unaligned)
Council seat	West Wyalong
Region	Central West
State electorate(s)	Cootamundra
Federal Division(s)	Riverina Parkes
Website	Bland Shire
LGAs around Bland Shire: Carrathool Lachlan Forbes Carrathool Bland Shire Weddin Griffith Narrandera Temora

Bland Shire is a local government area located on the boundary between the central west and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Newell and Mid-Western highways.

The council's name honours William Bland.

The largest town and council seat is West Wyalong. The region also includes the towns of Wyalong, Barmedman, Tallimba, Ungarie, Weethalle and Mirrool. The major economic activities of the shire are agriculture, mining, transport, tourism and wholesale distribution.

The mayor of Bland Shire Council is Cr. Neil Pokoney, who is unaligned with any political party.

Council

Current composition and election method

Bland Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the make-up of the council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents and Unaligned	9
	Total	9

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Brian Monaghan	Unaligned
	Liz McGlynn	Unaligned	Deputy Mayor
	Kerry Keatley	Unaligned
	Tony Lord	Unaligned
	Neil Pokoney	Unaligned	Mayor
	Peter Grellman	Unaligned
	Lincoln Pike	Unaligned
	Peter Templeton	Unaligned
	Leanne Hampton	Independent

Environment

Average annual rainfall is 482 millimetres (19.0 in). Average temperature are: maximum 23.3 °C (73.9 °F), minimum 9.5 °C (49.1 °F). The prevailing wind direction is north east in the morning and south west in the afternoon and evening, with predominantly calm conditions. Topography is generally undulating or flat, with the altitude ranging from 200 to 486 metres (656–1,594 ft). Main tree species include: kurrajong, cypress pine, mallee, box, ironbark, belah and wilga. Native fauna include: water fowl, red and grey kangaroos, echidnas, goannas, possums, bats and mallee fowls. Soil are predominantly clay with some granite soil and red brown earth, mostly neutral in pH. Native pasture plants include: wallaby grasses, Queensland blue grass and plains and wire grass.

History

The farm community of Bland Shire, West Wyalong was a former gold prospecting site in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, The history of Bland Shire has, in part, been documented by West Wyalong Movies.

In 2013, the community joined Dull, Perthshire, Scotland and Boring, Oregon, USA to create a "League of Extraordinary Communities" to group Dull, Boring and Bland as a means of encouraging travel, promoting all three communities.

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons