Carrathool Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	33°58′S 145°42′E / 33.967°S 145.700°E / -33.967; 145.700
Population	2,719 (2016 census)[1] 2,802 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	0.143615/km2 (0.37196/sq mi)
Area	18,932.61 km2 (7,309.9 sq mi)[3]
Council seat	Goolgowi[4]
Region	Riverina and Far West
State electorate(s)	Murray
Federal division(s)	Farrer[5]
Website	Carrathool Shire
LGAs around Carrathool Shire: Central Darling Cobar Lachlan Balranald Carrathool Shire Bland Hay Hay Griffith

The Carrathool Shire is a local government area that borders both the Riverina and Far West regions of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire comprises 18,933 square kilometres (7,310 sq mi) and is located adjacent to the Mid-Western Highway and north of the Sturt Highway.

The largest town in the Shire is Hillston and the council seat is Goolgowi. The Shire also includes the villages of Merriwagga, Rankins Springs and 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 (5,800 sq mi) are now used in rural pursuits, including more than 600 square kilometres (230 sq mi) 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.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Selected historical census data for Carrathool Council local government area
Census year			2011[6]	2016[1]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	2,587	2,719
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales	126th	124th
		% of New South Wales population	0.04%	0.04%
		% of Australian population	0.01%	0.01%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian	35.5%	34.6%
		English	29.8%	27.8%
		Irish	9.6%	9.1%
		Scottish	8.0%	8.5%
		German	3.1%	2.4%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Korean	0.5%	0.6%
		Afrikaans	n/c	0.5%
		Italian	0.4%	0.5%
		Punjabi	0.4%	0.5%
		Mandarin	n/c	0.5%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	31.5%	28.0%
		Anglican	24.6%	22.4%
		No religion	13.3%	18.1%
		Not stated	n/c	9.9%
		Uniting Church	11.6%	9.6%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income	A$527	A$681
		% of Australian median income	91.3%	102.9%
Family income		Median weekly family income	A$1143	A$1538
		% of Australian median income	77.2%	88.7%
Household income		Median weekly household income	A$942	A$1240
		% of Australian median income	76.3%	86.2%

History

In May 1934 Carrathool Shire Council voted to remove the shire offices from Carrathool to Goolgowi. The decision was made because Carrathool township was located at the south-west corner of the large shire, whereas Goolgowi was in a more central position.^[7]

Council

Current composition and election method

Carrathool Shire Council is composed of ten councillors elected proportionally as two separate wards, each electing five councillors. 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 4 December 2021. The makeup of the council is as follows:^[8][9]

The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election by ward, is:

2021 election results

2021 New South Wales local elections: Carrathool^[11]

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Independent		694	100.0	+0.0	10
Formal votes			694	97.9
Informal votes			15	2.1
Total			709	100.00
Registered voters / turnout			1,792	39.56