Carrathool Shire

Carrathool Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Population:	2,964(2009)
Area:	18932.61 km² (7,309.9 sq mi)
Mayor:	Peter Laird
Council Seat:	Goolgowi (9 - 11 Cobram Street)
Region:	Riverina
State electorate:	Murrumbidgee, Murray-Darling
Federal Division:	Riverina
Website: http://www.carrathool.local-e.nsw.gov.au
LGAs around Carrathool Shire: Central Darling Cobar Lachlan Balranald Carrathool Shire Bland Hay Hay Griffith

Carrathool Shire is a Local Government Area (LGA) in the Far West of New South Wales on the Mid-Western Highway and north of the Sturt Highway.

The largest town is Hillston and the council seat is Goolgowi. The Shire also includes the villages of Merriwagga, Rankins Springs, Carrathool.

Where once regular droughts made life almost untenable, the area now has irrigated crops, gardens, greened sporting facilities and village verges. Over 15,000 square kilometres are now used in rural pursuits, including more than 600 km² in wheat, rice, vineyards, cotton, potatoes, vegetables and orchard trees. Most of the change was made possible by the widespread use of river and underground water.

Council

Carrathool Shire Council is composed of ten councillors elected preferentially. The shire is divided into five wards, each electing two councillors. The mayor is not directly elected. The current makeup of the council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Unaffiliated	10
	Total	10

The current council, elected in 2008, is:

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
A Ward		Darryl Jardine	Unaffiliated	Elected Deputy Mayor in the September 2009 Mayoral elections, defeating the incumbent, Cr Russell Campbell.
		Brian Newman	Unaffiliated
B Ward		Margaret Merrylees	Unaffiliated
		Russell Campbell	Unaffiliated
C Ward		Bill Kite	Unaffiliated
		Jim Caughey	Unaffiliated
D Ward		Peter Kingston	Unaffiliated
		David Fensom	Unaffiliated
E Ward		Vince Cashmere	Unaffiliated
		Peter Laird	Unaffiliated	Mayor