Wide Bay–Burnett

Wide Bay–Burnett
Population	293,455 (2010 est.)
• Density	6.038368/km2 (15.63930/sq mi)
Area	48,598.4 km2 (18,763.9 sq mi)
LGA(s)	Bundaberg, Cherbourg, Fraser Coast, Gympie, North Burnett, South Burnett
State electorate(s)	Bundaberg, Callide, Gympie, Maryborough, Nanango
Federal division(s)	Wide Bay, Hinkler, Maranoa, Flynn

Wide Bay–Burnett is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, located between 170 and 400 kilometres (105 and 250 miles) north of the state capital, Brisbane. The area's population growth has exceeded the state average over the past 20 years, and it is forecast to grow to more than 430,000 by 2031. It is the subject of the Draft Wide Bay–Burnett Regional Plan, which aims to facilitate this growth while protecting over 90% of the region from urban development.

Geography

The Wide Bay–Burnett region consists of the following local government areas:

LGA	Population	Area
Bundaberg Region	96,936	6,449.2 km2 (2,490.1 sq mi)
Fraser Coast Region	102,080	7,116.7 km2 (2,747.8 sq mi)
Gympie Region	49,334	6,897.5 km2 (2,663.1 sq mi)
North Burnett Region	11,805	19,706.5 km2 (7,608.7 sq mi)
South Burnett Region	33,040	8,397.1 km2 (3,242.1 sq mi)
Aboriginal Shire of Cherbourg	1,260	31.7 km2 (12.2 sq mi)
Former Shire of Noosa[1]	52,271	869.3 km2 (335.6 sq mi)

¹ Noosa is sometimes included in the region, especially by tourism authorities, but is formally excluded by both the ABS and the Queensland Government's Department of Infrastructure and Planning.

Fraser Island

Fraser Island is the world's largest sand island

Main article: Fraser Island

Fraser Island is located along the southern coast of Queensland, approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Brisbane. Its length is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) and its width is approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) and it is separated from the mainland by the Great Sandy Strait. The island is considered to be the largest sand island in the world at 1840 km². It is also Queensland's largest island, Australia's sixth largest island and the largest island on the East Coast of Australia.

The island has rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, sand dunes and coastal heaths. It is made up of sand that has been accumulating for approximately 750,000 years on volcanic bedrock that provides a natural catchment for the sediment which is carried on a strong offshore current northwards along the coast. Fraser Island is home to a small number of mammal species, as well as a diverse range of birds, reptiles and amphibians, including the occasional saltwater crocodile. The island is protected in the Great Sandy National Park.

South Burnett

Main article: South Burnett

The South Burnett is a peanut growing and wine-producing region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, north of the Darling Downs. The Bunya Mountains mark the southern boundary of the region. 12 km from Murgon is the Bjelke-Petersen Dam. Other dams in the region include Gordonbrook Dam and Boondooma Dam. Tarong Power Station and the Tarong National Park are both in the south of the Burnett.

Major towns

Beach at Hervey Bay, 2007

Cities in the region include Bundaberg, Gympie, Hervey Bay and Maryborough. Some of the more notable towns include Bargara, Biggenden, Blackbutt, Burnett Heads, Childers, Eidsvold, Gayndah, Gin Gin, Howard, Imbil, Kilkivan, Kingaroy, Monto, Mundubbera, Murgon, Nanango, Tin Can Bay and Wondai

Education

Main article: List of schools in Wide Bay–Burnett

The region includes two universities: Central Queensland University at Bundaberg, and the University of Southern Queensland's Fraser Campus at Hervey Bay. The Wide Bay Institute of TAFE operates from campuses at Bundaberg, Gympie, Hervey Bay and Maryborough, with the Maryborough campus . A campus of Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE is located at Kingaroy.

Transport

Harvey Bay and Great Sandy Strait from orbit

The Wide Bay–Burnett region contains four large airports. These are Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Maryborough and Kingaroy. Hervey Bay and Bundaberg airports are serviced by regular public transport flights.

The Bruce Highway links the region to Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns, while the Burnett Highway and Isis Highway form part of an inland transport corridor to Toowoomba and central New South Wales.

Queensland Rail operates daily high-speed Tilt Train services to Gympie, Maryborough and Bundaberg. Public transport operated by Wide Bay Transit (Hervey Bay/Maryborough), Polleys Coaches (Gympie) and Duffy's City Buses (Bundaberg) connect at the railway stations. Public transport options for the inland areas are more limited, with buses linking the main towns to each other and Brisbane once a day, and once-weekly "shopper buses" in some towns.

External links

• Wide Bay Burnett Region (Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation)
• Regional Development Australia - Wide Bay Burnett
• Wide Bay Regional Organisation of Councils (WBBROC) website
• Wide Bay Burnett Region (Wide Bay Regional Organisation of Councils (WBBROC) website about the Wide Bay Burnett Region)