← Warren Shire Council
Area profile

Area profile

A quick snapshot of Warren Shire, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. Warren sits on the Macquarie River in the Orana region of central western NSW, about an hour's drive north-west of Dubbo and downstream of it on the same river system. It is one of the largest local government areas in the state by area and one of the smallest by population: roughly 2,600 people across nearly 10,800 square kilometres. Council describes the Shire as sitting in the heart of the fertile Macquarie Valley, and acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands within Warren Shire.

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.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

The area at a glance

Population (ERP, 2023-24)
2,593ABS Estimated Resident Population, per OLG time-series data.
Area
10,753.8 km²
Population density
~0.2 people per km²About one resident for every four square kilometres — among the lowest densities of any NSW council.
Region
Orana, central western NSW — the Macquarie Valley
Council classification
Rural (OLG group 9)
Main centres
Warren (council seat), plus the villages of Nevertire and CollieKerbside waste collection runs in these three places; Council has published a Village Enhancement Plan for each of Warren, Nevertire and Collie. The Mount Foster quarry on the Warren-Carinda Road is Council-operated.
What the economy runs on
Irrigated cotton, wool, sheep, cattle, grain and canolaCouncil puts Gross Regional Product at about $171.22 million and describes agriculture as the largest employment sector, followed by retail trade, education and training, health care and social assistance, and public administration and safety. Irrigation water is drawn from the Macquarie River. The Oxley and Mitchell Highways cross the Shire.
The Macquarie Marshes
Council runs the Warren and Macquarie Marshes Visitor Information CentreCouncil describes the Macquarie Marshes — one of the largest semi-permanent wetlands in south-eastern Australia, supporting over 200 bird species — as located around 100km north of Warren, and says about 90% of the Marshes is private land, with the Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve managed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. NPWS describes the reserve as around 80km north of Warren and 30km west of Quambone, and says it was listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 1986. Neither NPWS nor Council states which local government area the reserve sits in, so we don't claim one. Publicly accessible viewing points include Monkeygar Creek and Big Terrigal Creek on Gibson Way (unsealed; get local advice before driving). Closer to town, the Window on the Wetlands Centre and the Tiger Bay Wetlands sit on the Oxley Highway at Beemunnel.

Suburbs & postcodes

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 Warren Shire LGA, not the full list — most of the Shire is rural land within the 2824 postcode. The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary (OpenStreetMap administrative boundary for Warren Shire Council). Warren Shire was formed in 1957 from an amalgamation that included the former Marthaguy Shire.

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.