Fencing in Buronga, Gol Gol, Dareton and Wentworth
Fencing in Buronga and Wentworth Shire falls on the New South Wales side of the Murray. That means the Dividing Fences Act 1991 and Wentworth Shire Council apply to a fence there, not the Victorian rules used across the river at Mildura. Your enquiry is passed to a local contractor, who quotes and does the work. We refer; we do not build.
The ABS "Mildura and Buronga" urban area spans the river, and Buronga is the part in New South Wales. A fence at Buronga follows this page. A fence in Mildura follows the Mildura page. Across the river from Robinvale, Euston is on this side too, and is covered on the Robinvale and Euston page.
Wentworth Shire at the 2021 Census
| Area | People | Separate houses | Largest industries (share of jobs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wentworth Shire | 7,453 (median age 43, 3,437 private dwellings) | 92.2 per cent | Sheep farming 3.3 per cent (104 people), primary education 3.0, hospitals 2.9, citrus 2.8, grape growing 2.7 |
| Wentworth town | 1,577 (median age 56, 850 private dwellings) | 89.1 per cent | Aged care 6.9 per cent, local government 6.7, accommodation 6.5 |
| Buronga | 1,252 (median age 38, 551 private dwellings) | 87.2 per cent | Fruit and vegetable wholesaling 4.3 per cent, supermarkets 3.4, wine manufacturing 3.2 |
| Dareton | 456 (median age 49, 244 private dwellings) | 83.8 per cent | Building and industrial cleaning 7.2 per cent, clubs 5.2 |
| Wentworth-Balranald region | 3,648 | 91.7 per cent | Sheep farming 8.2 per cent, grape growing 5.4, other fruit and tree nut growing 4.6, grain-sheep or grain-beef 3.9 |
Sheep farming is the largest industry in Wentworth Shire as a whole, and it reaches 8.2 per cent in the wider Wentworth-Balranald region, with grape growing and fruit and nut growing close behind. Buronga looks different: wholesaling, supermarkets and wine manufacturing lead. We fetched no census figures for Gol Gol, so we give none. These figures show jobs, not property sizes, so they cannot tell you how many stock or horticulture fences there are. For sheep and cattle fencing, see the farm and stock fencing page. For vineyards and orchards, see the vineyard and orchard boundary page.
The Dividing Fences Act on the New South Wales side of the Murray
On the New South Wales side of the Murray, the Dividing Fences Act 1991 says adjoining owners are liable to contribute in equal proportions to fencing work. The version we found is dated 7 December 2024, so check for later changes. Legal Aid NSW says neighbours generally share the cost of a sufficient dividing fence, and a fencing notice is a written notice that says what fencing work you want done (Legal Aid NSW). If you cannot agree after a month has passed, either neighbour can apply to the Local Court or NCAT for Fencing Orders. NCAT says the notice must be served at least one month before you apply (NCAT).
What counts as sufficient depends on the circumstances, including the existing fence, other fences in the area, how the land on each side is used, council requirements and privacy. We found no rural-specific statement on this side. A public authority such as a council does not have a legal responsibility to share the cost. The New South Wales boundary fence page sets out the steps in full.
To find a neighbour's details, Wentworth Shire Council runs a "Request for Information - Fencing" form under the Dividing Fences Act, where you state the property and up to five addresses (council form). The council is at 61 Darling Street, PO Box 81, Wentworth NSW 2648, on 03 5027 5027. The form lists no fee.
Exempt development, flood and vegetation
A statewide fact sheet on exempt and complying fences, hosted on Wentworth Shire's site (fact sheet, January 2022 per our copy), does not mention Wentworth. For rural and environment protection zones it says fences must not be higher than 1.8 m and must be post and wire or post and rail. Masonry is allowed only within 3 m either side of the entrance, electric fencing must follow AS/NZS 3014:2003, and on bushfire-prone land fences must be non-combustible or hardwood. We did not verify that the standard is current. The sheet says exempt fences are not allowed in foreshore areas or on flood-control lots, so check the exact scope with the council. The NSW Planning Portal repeats the rural-zone rules, and a fence that fails the exempt standards may qualify as complying development.
The council's flood study covers riverine flooding at Wentworth, Pomona, Curlwaa, Dareton, Buronga and Gol Gol, and sets no development controls. Ask the council whether your block is a flood-control lot.
For clearing, the NSW Government's allowable activities page allows clearing for rural infrastructure including fences if it supports genuine agricultural use, and says "You must only clear the minimum amount of vegetation necessary". Maximum distances depend on the zone, and we could not establish which zone applies to Wentworth Shire, so we publish no distances. Ask the council.
Western Lands, fire and the border
Some land in the far west of New South Wales is Crown land held under Western Lands leases. A Law Society note (undated) says the lease holder is responsible for boundary fencing in a stock-proof condition, and the Dividing Fences Act mentions land leased under the Western Lands Act. Whether any given block here is Western Lands is not something we know, so ask the council or NSW Crown Lands (Western Lands page).
We found no New South Wales Rural Fire Service statement on grinding or welding in the open, so ask the RFS before work in a fire season. No source we found says what the Dividing Fences Act does for a fence along the river or against a Victorian neighbour. Ask the regulator or a solicitor. The Murray and Crown land page sets out the permit points for each side.
Before you ask for a quote
Send the town, a photo of the fence line, its rough length, the neighbour (private owner, council or public land) and what it must hold. Say whether the block is in a flood area. Ask the contractor which licence or registration they hold, and check it with Building Commission NSW on 13 27 00. The licensing page explains what the regulator pages say and where they stop. When you are ready, send your details.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot give a census figure for Gol Gol, the zone that sets clearing distances for Wentworth Shire, or the answer on whether a block is Western Lands. It cannot say whether your fence is exempt development or sits on a flood-control lot, and it cannot say what the Act does for a fence on the river or against a neighbour on the other bank. The fact sheets we used are older or statewide. Ask the council, Legal Aid NSW or a solicitor for a current answer.
Check the current rules before you rely on this
This page describes fencing at Buronga, Gol Gol, Dareton and Wentworth on the New South Wales side of the Murray, using the Dividing Fences Act, council and planning sources we could verify. It describes the rules in general terms as they stood in November 2026. Standards, forms, thresholds and fines change.
The authoritative sources are ABS 2021 Census QuickStats: Wentworth (local government area), Wentworth Shire Council, request for information: fencing (Dividing Fences Act 1991), Wentworth Shire Council, flood study, Dividing Fences Act 1991 (NSW), in-force version dated 7 December 2024 and Wentworth Shire Council, fences: rules for exempt and complying development (NSW fact sheet, January 2022, statewide). Where anything here differs from those sources, they are right and we are not.
We are not fencing contractors, builders, regulators or lawyers. On the New South Wales side of the Murray, ask Legal Aid NSW, NCAT and Wentworth Shire Council on 03 5027 5027. For the contractor, ask which licence or registration they hold and check it with Building Commission NSW on 13 27 00.
Accurate at the time of writing, November 2026. Always check the source before relying on it.