Balonne Shire Council was proclaimed on 11 March 1903 and gazetted by the Queensland Government on 14 March 1903.We are located in South West Queensland, about 500km inland from Brisbane, and nestled just above the New South Wales border. Across 31,151.8sq km, the Balonne Shire has seven towns - St George, Thallon, Dirranbandi, Bollon, Nindigully, Mungindi, and Hebel - and 4480 residents call our region home.St George is the most populous town of the Shire, and is a hub for residents, travelers, and transportation networks. It is also home to the Balonne Shire Council Chambers.Our Shire is known for their rich history, friendly locals, bird life, wide open spaces and relaxed country lifestyle.Traditionally, the Shire's economy has been built around agriculture, particularly cotton, grain, sheep and cattle.New areas such as tourism, and horticultural crops including grapes, onions, blueberries, broccoli and garlic have brought greater diversity to the local economy.