Area profile
A quick snapshot of Junee Shire, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. Junee is a Riverina / South West Slopes shire on the Olympic Highway and the Main South railway line, 41 km north of Wagga Wagga. The town grew around the Sydney–Melbourne railway, which reached Junee in 1878, and the wealth from it shows in the grand buildings still standing along Broadway and Seignior Street; the Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum, the Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory in the old flour mill, the Athenium Theatre and Bethungra's rail spiral are the shire's best-known landmarks. The name comes from the pastoral run 'Jewnee', from an Aboriginal word Council records as meaning 'speak to me'.
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)
- 6,458ABS Estimated Resident Population, per OLG time-series data.
- Area
- 2,030.0 km²
- Population density
- ~3 people per km²
- Region
- Riverina / South West Slopes, NSW — 41 km north of Wagga Wagga
- Council classification
- Large Rural (OLG group 10)
- Main centres
- Junee (council seat) and the villages of Old Junee, Illabo, Bethungra, Wantabadgery, Eurongilly, Junee Reefs, Harefield and DirnaseerCouncil's Community Strategic Plan records roughly 137 residents at Bethungra, 132 at Illabo and 254 at Old Junee, with about 1,000 people living on rural properties across the shire.
- What the local economy runs on
- Public administration & safety (437 jobs, 19.6%), agriculture/forestry/fishing (396, 17.8%), transport/postal/warehousing (237, 10.6%) and manufacturing (231, 10.3%)Total employment in the shire was 2,229 jobs in 2024–25 (NIEIR modelled series via economy.id). Junee sits on the main southern freight line, and Council identifies the Inland Rail project as a factor in the shire's rail and freight capacity.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Junee2663
- Old Junee2652
- Illabo2590
- Bethungra2590
- Wantabadgery2650
- Eurongilly2663
- Junee Reefs2666
- Harefield2650
- Dirnaseer2666
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 Junee Shire LGA. The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary (OpenStreetMap administrative boundary for Junee Shire Council). Junee Shire was formed on 1 January 1981 from the merger of the Municipality of Junee and Illabo Shire. Drinking water across the shire is supplied by Goldenfields Water County Council, not by Junee Shire Council, which runs the sewerage system.
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.