Area profile
A quick snapshot of Blayney Shire, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. Blayney calls itself the 'Village Shire': one town, Blayney, plus a string of historic villages — Millthorpe (National Trust classified), Carcoar (the third-oldest inland settlement in NSW), Lyndhurst, Mandurama, Neville, Newbridge, Barry and Hobbys Yards — spread across gently undulating tablelands country mostly above 900 metres. Blayney town sits about 37 km west of Bathurst and about 34 km south of Orange, with the Main Western railway running through it.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Local Government Area (LGA)
- The official area a council governs.
- Estimated Resident Population (ERP)
- The official population count for an area.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- The national statistics agency behind population figures.
The area at a glance
- Population (ERP, 2023–24)
- 7,767ABS Estimated Resident Population, per OLG time-series data. Council's own About the Shire page cites the 2021 Census count of 7,497.
- Area
- 1,524.6 km²
- Population density
- ~5 people per km²
- Region
- Central Tablelands, Central West NSW — between Bathurst, Orange and Cowra
- Council classification
- Large Rural (OLG group 10)
- Main centres
- Blayney (council seat), Millthorpe and Carcoar, plus the villages of Lyndhurst, Mandurama, Neville, Newbridge, Barry and Hobbys YardsCouncil describes the shire as predominantly rural, with primary industries including beef, lamb, wool, dairying, forestry, viticulture, orchards, potatoes, canola and other grains; mining is also a key industry, alongside manufacturing, transport and food processing. Council puts total economic output for the LGA at an estimated $2.06 billion, supporting 3,133 jobs. Water supply is provided by Central Tablelands Water, a county council, rather than by Blayney Shire Council.
- Traditional owners
- Wiradjuri CountryCouncil acknowledges the Wiradjuri People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land within the Blayney Shire local government area.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Blayney2799
- Millthorpe2798
- Carcoar2791
- Mandurama2792
- Lyndhurst2797
- Newbridge2795
- Neville2799
- Barry2799
- Forest Reefs2798
- Hobbys Yards2795
- Burnt Yards2792
- Garland2797
- Caloola2795
- Kings Plains2799
On the map
The shaded area is the official Local Government Area boundary.
The suburb list and postcodes are a selection of the localities in the Blayney Shire LGA (postcodes checked against the Australia Post locality index); the shire also includes Athol, Errowanbang, Gallymont, Junction Reefs, Moorilda, Panuara, Tallwood and Wombiana. The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary (OpenStreetMap administrative boundary for Blayney Shire Council). Blayney was proclaimed in 1843 and the railway reached it in 1876, which is why it — rather than the older settlement at Carcoar — became the shire centre.
Sources — check it yourself
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.