← Bourke Shire Council
Area profile

Area profile

A quick snapshot of Bourke Shire, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. Bourke sits on the Darling River (Baaka) in far north-western NSW, roughly 800 km from Sydney, at the crossroads of the Mitchell and Kamilaroi Highways and the Kidman Way — the council describes itself as the gateway to the real outback, and 'back o' Bourke' is long-standing Australian shorthand for remoteness. The shire covers more than 41,000 square kilometres, an area larger than Switzerland, with fewer than 2,400 residents in it, most of them in the town of Bourke. The council says the shire's prosperity is built around the pastoral, irrigation, tourism and service industries; the Back O' Bourke Exhibition Centre and the paddle vessel Jandra anchor the visitor side of that.

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.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

The area at a glance

Population (ERP, 2023-24)
2,349ABS Estimated Resident Population, per OLG time-series data. The council's own website describes the shire as home to approximately 3,000 people.
Area
41,598.4 km²The council describes the shire as covering about 43,000 km² (4.2 million hectares); the OLG time-series records 41,598.4 km².
Population density
~0.06 people per km²Among the lowest in NSW — roughly 18 square kilometres per resident.
Region
Far north-western NSW, on the Darling River (Baaka)At the junction of the Mitchell Highway, Kamilaroi Highway and Kidman Way. The council is a member of the Far North West Joint Organisation with Cobar and Walgett, which jointly manages the western area air services contract.
Council classification
Rural (OLG group 9)Which sets the under-10% rates-outstanding benchmark used in Budget & finances.
Main centres
Bourke (council seat) and North Bourke, with the villages of Byrock, Enngonia, Fords Bridge, Louth, Wanaaring and YantabullaThe council runs Bourke Airport, the Back O' Bourke Exhibition Centre and the paddle vessel Jandra, the Bourke Memorial Swimming Pool, the library, cemeteries, water and sewer, and the shire's local road network — the majority of it unsealed. Council-reported economic activity in 2024/2025 included the Thomas Foods International goat abattoir operating fully and planning expansion, a solar farm, new Oxley Street businesses, an Aboriginal art gallery showcasing local artists, and the 'Work in Bourke' campaign.
Getting around
Most shire roads are unsealedThe council publishes a dated Road Condition Report and advises checking it before travelling on unsealed roads.

Suburbs & postcodes

On the map

The shaded area is the official Local Government Area boundary.

The locality list is a selection of the places in the Bourke Shire LGA; postcodes are from the Australia Post postcode dataset. The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary. Distances here are real: Louth is about 99 km from Bourke and Wanaaring about 180 km, which is why the council maintains separate village water supplies and waste depots rather than extending town services.

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.