Area profile
A quick snapshot of Gilgandra Shire, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. Gilgandra sits on the Castlereagh River in the Orana region, at the junction of the Newell, Oxley and Castlereagh Highways about 65 km north-west of Dubbo — a road junction that has shaped the town since it was proclaimed a shire in 1906. Council itself describes Gilgandra as a 'meeting place' between three Aboriginal nations, Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi (Gamilaraay) and Wailwan. The shire is large and thinly settled: roughly 4,800 square kilometres for about 4,300 people, with most of the land in farms and most of the population in the one town.
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)
- 4,305ABS Estimated Resident Population, per OLG time-series data.
- Area
- 4,831.5 km²
- Population density
- ~1 person per km²
- Region
- Orana, NSW — on the Castlereagh River, at the junction of the Newell, Oxley and Castlereagh Highways
- Council classification
- Rural (OLG group 9)
- Main centres
- Gilgandra (council seat), with the villages of Tooraweenah, Armatree, Curban and CollieKerbside waste collection reaches Gilgandra, Tooraweenah and Armatree; the rest of the shire is served by the Gilgandra Waste Facility. Tooraweenah is the western gateway to Warrumbungle National Park.
- What the economy runs on
- Broadacre agriculture, plus Council-run health, aged-care and disability servicesFarmland is the dominant rating category — 777 ad valorem farmland assessments raise about $4.87M of Council's $6.40M in ordinary rates for 2026/27. Council is also a substantial local employer through Cooee Lodge and Jack Towney Hostel (residential aged care), Orana Living (supported accommodation and disability services) and Carlginda Enterprises (supported employment, which also operates the waste facility's material recovery facility).
- Local heritage
- The Coo-ee March of 1915 set out from GilgandraThe recruitment march that left Gilgandra for Sydney in 1915, gathering volunteers town by town, is the shire's best-known piece of history and is commemorated at the Coo-ee Heritage & Visitor Information Centre on the Newell Highway — (02) 6817 8700.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Gilgandra2827
- Tooraweenah2817
- Armatree2828
- Curban2827
- Collie2827
- Biddon2827
- Breelong2827
- Balladoran2822
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 Gilgandra Shire LGA (postcodes verified against Australia Post). The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary (OpenStreetMap administrative boundary for Gilgandra Shire Council). Part of Warrumbungle National Park lies within the shire and is reached via Tooraweenah.
Sources — check it yourself
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2023–24 (population, area, classification) · ABS ERP 2023–24
- Gilgandra Shire Council — Community & Economic Profile · 2026
- Gilgandra Shire Council — Delivery Program and Operational Plan 2026/27–2029/30 (rating categories, services) · 2026–27
- Gilgandra Shire (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.