The Shire of Irwin 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 State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
in the
Mid West
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
region of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, about south of
Geraldton and about north of the state capital,
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of
Dongara.
History
The Irwin Road District was created on 24 January 1871 as one of the first regional local government areas in Western Australia. On 16 June 1916, Irwin received a large land area from the Upper Irwin Road Board shortly before that entity's dissolution. Sections of the district separated as part of the formation of the
Carnamah Road District on 24 August 1923 and the
Three Springs Road District on 2 November 1928.
On 1 July 1961, it became a shire following the passage of the ''Local Government Act 1960'', which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.
In June 2015, Irwin declared itself
gasfield free.
Population
Wards
The Shire is divided into four wards:
* Denison Ward (four councillors)
* North Ward (two councillors)
* South East Ward (two councillors)
* Town Ward (two councillors)
Towns and localities
*
Dongara
* Allanooka
*
Arrowsmith
* Bookara
*
Port Denison
* Springfield
* Yardarino
Notable councillors
*
Samuel James Phillips
Samuel James Phillips (8 November 1855 – 21 June 1920) was an Australian pastoralist and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1890 to 1904, representing the seat of Irwin.
Phillips was born in P ...
, Irwin Road Board member 1883; later a state MP
*
Charles Maley
Charles Crowther Maley (28 August 1876 – 15 October 1929) was an Australian businessman, farmer, and politician. who was a Country Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1921 until his death, representing the se ...
, Upper Irwin Road Board member 1907–1929; also a state MP
Heritage-listed places
As of 2021, 157 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Irwin, of which 16 are on the
State Register of Heritage Places.
References
External links
*
{{Coord, -29.251, 114.931, type:adm2nd_region:AU-WA, format=dms, display=title
Irwin