Area profile
A quick snapshot of the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional local government area, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. It is a large, sparsely populated rural LGA on the South West Slopes, straddling the Olympic Highway and rail line at Cootamundra and the Hume Highway and Murrumbidgee River at Gundagai. The one fact every resident should know: the council was created by a NSW Government merger proclamation on 12 May 2016, and in July 2025 the Minister for Local Government approved splitting it back into separate Cootamundra and Gundagai councils — see the fact and sources below for exactly where that process stands.
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)
- 11,424ABS Estimated Resident Population, per OLG time-series data.
- Area
- 3,981.4 km²
- Population density
- ~3 people per km²
- Region
- Riverina / South West Slopes, NSW
- Council classification
- Large Rural (OLG group 11)
- Main centres
- Cootamundra and Gundagai, plus the villagesCootamundra is a railway-junction town on the main southern line and gives its name to the Cootamundra wattle; Gundagai sits on the Murrumbidgee River beside the Hume Highway. Villages include Stockinbingal, Wallendbeen, Bethungra, Muttama, Nangus, Coolac and Tumblong. Council maintains two administration offices, one in each main town.
- Local economy
- Agriculture, freight and transport, and visitor economyBroadacre cropping and grazing dominate the land use; the Hume Highway and the main southern railway run through the LGA, and the council's Community Strategic Plan names the ARTC Inland Rail project as a potential catalyst for the region. Council also runs saleyards, an aerodrome at Cootamundra and visitor information centres in both towns.
- Merger and demerger
- Merged 12 May 2016; demerger approved by the NSW Government in July 2025, not yet proclaimedCootamundra Shire and Gundagai Shire were merged by proclamation in May 2016 (the entity was initially named Gundagai Council and renamed Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council on 7 September 2016). After a Local Government Boundaries Commission public inquiry, Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig announced on 17 July 2025 that the demerger would proceed. As at March 2026 the legal proclamation creating the two new councils was being drafted, with the council working to a target of both successor councils operating from 1 July 2027. Until that happens, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council remains the council for the whole area and all the services on this site.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Cootamundra2590
- Gundagai2722
- Stockinbingal2725
- Wallendbeen2588
- Bethungra2590
- Muttama2722
- Nangus2722
- Coolac2727
- Tumblong2729
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 Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional LGA. The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary. Because a demerger has been approved but not yet proclaimed, the boundary shown is still the current single LGA; the two successor areas would follow the former Cootamundra Shire and Gundagai Shire boundaries.
Sources — check it yourself
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2023–24 (population, area, classification) · ABS ERP 2023–24
- Office of Local Government — Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council public inquiry (de-amalgamation) · 2024–2025
- CGRC media release — Demerger of Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council (Minister's announcement) · 17 Jul 2025
- Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council — Demerger News · 2026
- Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council (Wikipedia)
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.