The Shire of Capel is a
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
in the
South West region of
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, taking in the land between the cities of
Bunbury and
Busselton
Busselton is a city in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destin ...
about south of the state capital,
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of
Capel.
The Shire of Capel has 29 km of beach frontage onto Geographe Bay including access at Forrest Beach, Peppermint Grove Beach, Minninup Beach and Dalyellup Beach. The eight kilometer stretch of Stirling Beach (commencing at the Capel River, north to the Minninup Beach access at Rich Road) has no public access points since all the adjacent land is privately owned.
According to the 2016 census figures, the population of the Shire of Capel was 17,123.
History
Capel was initially constituted as the first Bunbury Road District on 15 June 1894 (as distinguished from the Bunbury Municipal District). On 26 July 1907, it was renamed to the Capel Road District, and on 1 July 1961, it became a shire under the Local Government Act 1960.
Indigenous people
The Shire of Capel is located on the traditional land of the
Wardandi (also spelled Wadandi) people of the
Noongar
The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Aus ...
nation.
Wards
The Shire is no longer divided into wards and the nine councillors sit at large.
Towns and localities
The towns and localities of the Shire of Capel with population and size figures based on the
most recent Australian census
The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...
:
*
(* indicates locality is only partially located within this shire)
Heritage-listed places
As of 2023, 189 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Capel, of which eleven are on the
State Register of Heritage Places
The State Register of Heritage Places is the heritage register of historic sites in Western Australia deemed significant at the state level by the Heritage Council of Western Australia.
History
In the 1970s, following its establishment of the N ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Coord, -33.557, 115.566, type:adm2nd_region:AU-WA, format=dms, display=title
Capel