It was proclaimed on 21 March 1935, with effect from 1 May 1935, as a result of the amalgamation of the District Council of Burra, District Council of Hanson, the District Council of Mount Bryan and a substantial portion of the abolished District Council of Booborowie.[2] It consolidated most of the Burra area - including the Hundreds of Ayers, Baldina, Hanson, King, Kingston, Kooringa, Mongolata and Rees - under one municipality, with the exception of the Corporate Town of Burra in the Burra township itself, which remained separate.[1] The new council continued to use the offices of the former District Council of Burra, which were in the Burra Institute building.[3]
In 1936, the principal towns were described as Aberdeen, Ayers, Booborowie, Davies, Farrell Flat, Kooringa and Mount Bryan.[1] (Today, Aberdeen and Kooringa are now part of Burra, the Hundred of Ayers is divided between Booborowie, North Booborowie and Leighton, and Davies was renamed Hanson).[4] It was divided into eight wards (Baldina, Booborowie, Farrell's Flat, Hanson, Kooringa, Leighton, Mongolata and Mount Bryan).[5] The population of the district in 1936 was 2,076, living in approximately 530 dwellings. The annual revenue of the district was £3,250.[1] In 1943, the council relocated the offices and council chamber to the former Commercial Bank building upon the bank's withdrawal from Burra.[6] It moved again in 1980, occupying the former Farmers' Union and RSL clubrooms.[7]
The Corporate Town of Burra, which had previously remained separate while being surrounded by the district, merged into the District Council in 1969.[8] It continued to have the eight existing wards, but added three members to be elected from a single Burra Town Ward in the former corporate town.[9]