Annual Report 2007/2008 Wook-Koo Park, Woocoo Fraser Coast Regional Council Contents Creation of a region 1 Message from the Mayor 2 Message from the Chief Executive Officer 5 Fraser Coast Regional Council 6 Hervey Bay City Council 8 Maryborough City Council 18 Tiaro Shire Council 29 Woocoo Shire Council 40 We welcome your feedback. If you would like to comment on this Annual Report or any of the activities of the Fraser Coast Regional Council please contact Council on 1800 881 400 or email
[email protected]. Anzac Park, Maryborough The creation of a region... INTRODUCTION On 17 April 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission announced a change to Council boundaries, reducing the number of local government authorities in Queensland from 135 to 87. After the Local Government Election on 15 March 2008, the Councils of Hervey Bay City, Maryborough City, Tiaro Shire (Divisions 1 and 2) and Woocoo Shire were amalgamated to form the Fraser Coast Regional Council. This amalgamation of urban centres, coastal villages and country towns creates a rich tapestry of characters, landscapes and histories. The name Tiaro is aboriginal and translates as “withered or dead tree”. The first attempt at settlement in the Tiaro area was in 1842 when John Eales came overland with 20,000 sheep to establish a station. Although not successful, this marked a beginning for Tiaro. Also at this time Andrew Petrie’s expedition landed in Tiaro having explored the Mary River. Tiaro became a recognised settlement in 1867 as a result of the Gympie gold rush. The two-day trip to transport gold from Gympie mines to the river port of Maryborough was broken by an overnight stop in Tiaro, where the valuable cargo was secured in the Police Station.