Bega Valley Shire is located on the south-eastern coastline of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 and extends from Bermagui

Bermagui, New South Wales

Bermagui is a town on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. The name is derived from the Dyirringanj word, permageua, possibly meaning 'canoe with paddles'....

 in the north to the Victorian border in the south. It includes the towns of Bega

Bega, New South Wales

Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.-Place name:One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground"....

, Tathra

Tathra, New South Wales

Tathra is a seaside town on the Sapphire Coast found on the South Coast, New South Wales, Australia in Bega Valley Shire. It has a population of 1,622....

, Merimbula

Merimbula, New South Wales

Merimbula is a coastal town on the Far South Coast or Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, the population within a 10km radius of the Merimbula Post Office was over 8,775, Merimbula has a town population of 3,851 people...

, Tura Beach

Tura Beach, New South Wales

Tura Beach is a small coastal town on the Far South Coast or Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 4 km north of Merimbula...

, Wolumla

Wolumla, New South Wales

Wolumla is an historical locality in New South Wales, Australia and is between Bega and Merimbula. Wolumla is a small rural village located off the Princes Highway to the south of Bega. Wolumla is located on rolling hills on the coastal hinterland near the headwaters of Frogs Hollow Creek and has...

, Cobargo

Cobargo, New South Wales

Cobargo is a village in the south-east area of the state of New South Wales in Australia in Bega Valley Shire. In 2006, Cobargo had a population of 426 people. It is 386 km south of Sydney on the Princes Highway between Narooma and Bega....

, Bemboka

Bemboka, New South Wales

Bemboka is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on the Snowy Mountains Highway, in the Bega Valley Shire Local Government Area, 474 kilometres  south of the state capital, Sydney. At the 2006 census, Bemboka had a population of 249.The...

, Pambula

Pambula, New South Wales

Pambula is a town in Bega Valley Shire on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia south of Sydney via the Princes Highway. At the 2006 census, Pambula had a population of 1,146 people.-History:...

, Pambula Beach

Pambula Beach, New South Wales

Pambula Beach is a small town in New South Wales, Australia not far from Pambula. At the 2006 census, Pambula Beach had a population of 655 people....

, Towamba and the former whaling port of Eden

Eden, New South Wales

Eden is a coastal town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town, south of the state capital Sydney near the border with Victoria, is located between Nullica Bay to the south and Calle Calle Bay, the northern reach of Twofold Bay, and built on undulating land adjacent to a...

. The Bega Valley Shire is also known as the Sapphire Coast

Sapphire Coast

The Sapphire Coast is the marketing/ tourist name for the Bega Valley Shire region in South East, New South Wales, Australia.The Sapphire Coast is known for its clean beaches, clear water and great quality of life. The area is very popular with retirees and seachangers....

 for tourism and marketing purposes.

The Shire is the largest local government area in coastal New South Wales, with an area of 6280 square kilometres (2,424.7 sq mi), and has the longest coastline of any local government area in the state. It is sparsely populated, largely because 75% of the area belongs to various National Parks and State Forests. The population as of the 2006 Census was 31,062.

Bega Valley is particularly known for its dairy

Dairy

A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...

 industry, though tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 is of growing importance.

In August 1999 the Bega Valley shire council was sacked and an administrator was put in place until 2002 where a new council was elected.

Council

Bega Valley Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally. The mayor is not directly elected. The current makeup of the council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...  and Unaffiliated	8
	The Greens Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...	1
	Total	9

The current council, elected in 2008, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Tony Allen	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Mayor
	Paul Pincini	Unaffiliated
	Keith Hughes	Greens Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
	Liz Seckold	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
	Graeme Wykes	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
	Mike Britten	Unaffiliated	Deputy Mayor
	Pat Campbell	Unaffiliated
	David Hede	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
	Russell Fitzpatrick	Unaffiliated	Elected on 5 December 2009 to replace Adrian Sandrey

External links

• Community Website
• LGWORKS: Bega Valley Shire Council