Area profile
A quick snapshot of Upper Lachlan Shire, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. The shire sits on the Southern Tablelands about 140 km from Canberra, running from Crookwell and Binda in the north to Gunning, Collector and Breadalbane on the Hume, and east to Taralga. It is one of the most sparsely settled LGAs in southern NSW — roughly one person per square kilometre — and the council's Community Strategic Plan records agriculture, forestry and fishing as the largest industry of employment, followed by manufacturing, health care and social assistance, retail trade and construction.
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)
- 8,875ABS Estimated Resident Population, per OLG time-series data. The council's Community Strategic Plan 2042 cites about 8,700 residents, primarily in Crookwell, Gunning and Taralga.
- Area
- 7,127.4 km²
- Population density
- ~1.2 people per km²
- Region
- Southern Tablelands, NSW — about 140 km from Canberra
- Council classification
- Large Rural (OLG group 10)
- Main centres
- Crookwell (council seat), Gunning and Taralga, plus a dozen villagesVillages include Collector, Dalton, Binda, Bigga, Laggan, Grabben Gullen, Breadalbane, Tuena, Golspie, Jerrawa and Big Hill. Council runs offices at both Crookwell and Gunning. A selection of localities is listed below.
- Wind generation in the LGA
- Several wind farms operate or are proposed in the shireCouncil administers the Biala Wind Farm Community Fund, which offers grants to not-for-profit groups within 20 km of a Biala turbine, and lists other proponent-run community grant rounds (e.g. Limerick Wind Farm) on its grants page. We link to the council's own pages and take no position on wind development.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Crookwell2583
- Gunning2581
- Taralga2580
- Collector2581
- Dalton2581
- Breadalbane2581
- Binda2583
- Bigga2583
- Laggan2583
- Grabben Gullen2583
- Tuena2583
- Golspie2580
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 Upper Lachlan Shire LGA. The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary (OpenStreetMap administrative boundary for Upper Lachlan Shire Council). Upper Lachlan Shire was formed in 2004 from the former Crookwell, Gunning and Mulwaree shires.
Sources — check it yourself
- Office of Local Government — Time-Series Data 2023–24 (population, area, classification) · ABS ERP 2023–24
- Upper Lachlan Shire Council — Community Strategic Plan 2042 (2025 revision) · 2025 revision
- Upper Lachlan Shire Council — Grants (wind farm community funds) · 2026
- profile.id — Upper Lachlan community profile
- Upper Lachlan 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.