The Shire of Dandaragan 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 ...
located in the
Wheatbelt 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 ...
, about north 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
Jurien Bay.
History
The Dandaraga Road District was created on 27 February 1890. It was renamed the ''Dandaragan Road District'' on 22 July 1932. On 1 July 1961, it became a shire following the enactment of the ''Local Government Act 1960'', which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.
Until the late 1960s it was a sparsely populated agricultural shire, but the coastal towns of Jurien Bay and
Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best known for his no ...
and the popularity of
The Pinnacles Desert with tourists have helped to fuel the shire's growth. Originally the shire's main administration centre was in the small town of Dandaragan, however due to the disproportionate population growth in the town of Jurien Bay the administration was relocated there in 2003.
Wards
On 22 May 1971, the shire was divided into Coastal, Central, North and South wards, and its representation increased from seven to nine councillors. Over time, the Coastal ward increased in size, and ultimately on 2 May 1987, the ward was abolished and two new wards, Cervantes and Jurien, were created. By 3 November 1989, the following wards existed:
[
* Jurien Ward (three councillors)
* Cervantes Ward (two councillors)
* Badgingarra Ward (two councillors) (formerly North Ward)
* Dandaragan Ward (three councillors) (formerly South Ward)
On 7 May 2005, the shire was redivided into two wards:
* North Ward (five councillors)
* South Ward (four councillors)
By the 2009 Council elections all wards had been abolished and nine councillors represent the whole shire.
]
Towns and localities
The towns and localities of the Shire of Dandaragan 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 ...
:
Population
Heritage-listed places
, 98 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Dandaragan, of which none 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, -30.297, 115.042, type:adm2nd_region:AU-WA, format=dms, display=title
Dandaragan
Dandaragan is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The Dandaragan plateau is the underlying geological feature of the area.
History
The first recorded land lease was to William Brockman in 1848; he had a land lease at ...