NSW · New England · Local council, made simple
Walcha Council
A high-country council on the southern New England tablelands, where the Oxley Highway meets Thunderbolts Way about an hour south of Armidale — around 3,000 people spread across 6,261 km², on an economy of fine wool, grazing and timber, alongside Apsley Falls, the Macleay Gorges and Walcha's Open Air Gallery of public sculpture. The council runs the local services you use every week — waste, water, roads, parks, the library, the pool and the Apsley Riverview aged care facility — and sets your rates. Here's the snapshot, then the stuff that affects your week.
Everyday essentials
The things people actually need from the council — fast.
Open for your feedback
See all →Things Walcha Council wants your say on right now. Your view counts for more before the deadline.
- Open — see source for the closing date
Walcha Australia Day Awards
Have your say → - Open — see source for the closing date
Public Exhibition – Classification of Land on Council Properties
Have your say → - Open — see source for the closing date
Public Exhibition – 2026-2027 Draft Operational Plan
Have your say →
Get to know your council
The basics, in one tap — open any card for key facts and a link to the official source.
This year's rate rise, how it compares across NSW, and why bills differ.
2026–27 rate peg: 4.1%
Open →Budget & financesHow financially healthy the council is, measured against official benchmarks.
6 of 9 OLG benchmarks met (2023–24)
Open →Crime & safetyWhat BOCSAR records in Walcha — the incident counts, and why there is no rate.
76 recorded incidents across 12 major offences (year to Mar 2026)
Open →Mayor & councillorsWho represents you — and where to read their official profiles.
Mayor: Eric Noakes
Open →Elections & votingWhen the next council election is, and how voting works.
Next election: Sat 9 Sep 2028
Open →Contact & servicesHow to reach the council and report a problem.
Customer service: (02) 6774 2500
Open →Area profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is.
Population: ~2,990 (2023–24)
Open →What's happening
16 updatesAuto-collected from Walcha Council's public channels and drafted in plain language (pending review).
- Have your say
Walcha Australia Day Awards
Walcha Australia Day Awards
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Have your say
Public Exhibition – Classification of Land on Council Properties
Public Exhibition – Classification of Land on Council Properties
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Have your say
Public Exhibition – Draft Investment Policy
Public Exhibition – Draft Investment Policy
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Have your say
Public Exhibition – 2026-2027 Draft Operational Plan
Public Exhibition – 2026-2027 Draft Operational Plan
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Have your say
Public Exhibition – Code of Meeting Practice
Public Exhibition – Code of Meeting Practice
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Policy
Walcha 2050 – Shaping Walcha’s Identity – Community Planning Forum
Walcha 2050 – Shaping Walcha’s Identity – Community Planning Forum
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Council meeting
2018 Business Papers (Agendas)
2018 Business Papers (Agendas)
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Business Papers
- Have your say
Donations & Community Grants Applications are OPEN
Donations & Community Grants Applications are OPEN
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Have your say
Public Exhibition – Draft Conflict of Interest in Development Assessment Process
Public Exhibition – Draft Conflict of Interest in Development Assessment Process
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Have your say
2026 Street Stall Applications
2026 Street Stall Applications
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Development
Notice of Proposed Development
Notice of Proposed Development
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Have your say
Policies on Public Exhibition
Policies on Public Exhibition
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Notices
- Have your say
2026–2027 draft Operational Plan and budget went on public exhibition
At its ordinary meeting on 27 May 2026 the council approved the 2026–2027 Draft Operational Plan — including the draft budget, fees and charges and the revenue policy — to go on public exhibition for 28 days. Submissions were accepted until Friday 26 June 2026.
What this means for you: The Operational Plan is where the year's rates, fees and charges and planned works are set out. The exhibition period has closed; check the council's Operational Plans page for the adopted version.
Source: Walcha Council — Public Exhibition, 2026-2027 Draft Operational Plan
- Policy
Council steps back from running the Walcha Motorcycle Rally
Walcha Council announced that, after reviewing its involvement following an accident during the Demolition Derby in November 2025, it will stop providing financial underwriting and acting as the legal entity for the Walcha Motorcycle Rally. It will work with the Rally Advisory Committee on a possible transition to another organisation, and there will be no rally staged in 2026.
What this means for you: The rally does not run in 2026. Council says it will continue to help with traffic management and digital promotion if another community or industry body takes the event on.
Source: Walcha Council — Media Release, Future of the Walcha Motorcycle Rally
- Policy
Council appoints Stephen Parry as General Manager
Following the resignation of General Manager Phil Hood in June 2025, Walcha Council appointed Stephen Parry as its new General Manager. The council's release notes more than 30 years of senior local government experience, including 23 years as Chief Executive of Gore District Council in New Zealand. He commenced on 1 September 2025.
What this means for you: The General Manager is the council's chief executive and the person the organisation reports through, so this is the main day-to-day contact point behind the elected council.
Source: Walcha Council — Media Release, Appointment of New General Manager
- Policy
Community Strategic Plan 'Walcha 2035' adopted
The council adopted its updated Community Strategic Plan, Walcha 2035, in June 2025. Built in part from a community engagement survey, it replaces the previous Walcha 2032 plan and sets the community vision and five themes — Better Government, Stronger Community, Business Jobs and the Economy, Local Environment, and Liveable Communities — that the Delivery Program and annual Operational Plans sit under.
What this means for you: The CSP is the top of the council's planning stack: what appears in it is what the annual budget and works programs are meant to deliver against over the next decade.
Source: Walcha Council — Community Strategic Plan, Walcha 2035
Email alerts aren't switched on yet
We haven't started sending email, so we're not taking addresses for now. New items from Walcha Councilshow up under “What's happening” above as we find them, each linked to its official source.