Area profile
A quick snapshot of Forbes Shire, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. Forbes sits on the Lachlan River in the Central West, where the Newell Highway — the main inland road route between Victoria and Queensland — runs through town. It is a large, sparsely settled shire: about 9,300 people across 4,710 km², with the town of Forbes and a scatter of villages and rural localities.
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)
- 9,295ABS Estimated Resident Population, per OLG time-series data.
- Area
- 4,710.1 km²
- Population density
- ~2 people per km²
- Region
- Central West, NSW — on the Lachlan River and the Newell Highway
- Council classification
- Large Rural (OLG group 10)
- Main centres
- Forbes (council seat) plus the villages and localities of Bedgerabong, Garema, Ootha, Wirrinya, Jemalong, Warroo, Bundaburrah, Mulyandry and Paytens BridgeCouncil's own economic profile puts total output for the shire at about $1.637 billion and Gross Regional Product at $799.7 million, with agriculture, forestry and fishing the largest industry by output ($405.1 million) ahead of manufacturing ($248.9 million); around 4,107 people work in the shire. Council owns and operates the Central West Livestock Exchange and the Forbes aerodrome. About 330,000 vehicle movements pass through the shire each year on the Newell Highway, roughly 35% of them heavy vehicles.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Forbes2871
- Bedgerabong2871
- Garema2871
- Wirrinya2871
- Jemalong2871
- Warroo2871
- Bundaburrah2871
- Mulyandry2871
- Paytens Bridge2871
- Ootha2875
On the map
The shaded area is the official Local Government Area boundary.
The locality list and postcodes are a selection of the places in the Forbes Shire LGA. The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary (OpenStreetMap administrative boundary for Forbes Shire Council). Forbes grew from an 1861 gold rush on the Lachlan and is closely associated with the bushranger Ben Hall and with the poet Henry Lawson; the council acknowledges that the land traditionally belonged to the Wiradjuri people. Council supplies treated drinking water to Forbes, Calarie and Daroobalgie and to villages in neighbouring shires including Gunningbland, Bogan Gate, Trundle, Tullamore and Tottenham.
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.