Shire of Shark Bay

The Shire of Shark Bay is a local government area of Western Australia in the Gascoyne region. It has an area of 25,423 km² and a population of about 950. It is made up of two peninsulas, located at the westernmost point of Australia. There is one town in the Shire of Shark Bay, Denham, which is the administrative centre for the Shire. There are also a number of small communities; they are Useless Loop (a now-closed mining site), Monkey Mia (a popular resort where dolphins come in), Nanga and Hamelin Pool. The Overlander and The Billabong are roadhouses.

Shire of Shark Bay
Western Australia
Location in Western Australia
Population946 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density0.037210/km2 (0.09637/sq mi)
Established1904
Area25,423 km2 (9,815.9 sq mi)
PresidentCheryl Cowell
Council seatDenham
RegionGascoyne
State electorate(s)North West
Federal Division(s)Kalgoorlie
WebsiteShire of Shark Bay
LGAs around Shire of Shark Bay:
Indian Ocean Carnarvon Upper Gascoyne
Indian Ocean Shire of Shark Bay Murchison
Indian Ocean Northampton Northampton

History

The Shark Bay Road District was gazetted on 13 May 1904. In 1951 the then current officials were dismissed.[2] On 1 July 1961, it became a shire under the Local Government Act 1960, which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.[3]

Wards

The Shire is divided into three wards:

  • Denham Ward (five councillors)
  • Pastoral Ward (one councillor)
  • Useless Loop Ward (one councillor)

Economy

Major employers include the salt works at Useless Loop along with the fishing industry and the various retail outlets meeting the needs of the tourist industry. There are some 30 personnel employed by the Department of Environment and Conservation and twenty by the Shire. There is a primary school and a Distance Education structured secondary school. Numbers of school aged children fluctuate around the 100 mark. The Police Station is manned by 3 officers.

Local industries include tourism, fishing, salt, pearl marine culturing, mining of shell grit and various pastoral activities.

Tourism

The creation of the Shark Bay World Heritage Site has created significant impact on the community within the shire area.

Community

The Shire council produced a community newsletter title the Inscription Post from 1989 until January 2011 when it was produced by the Shark Bay Community Resource Centre.[4]

Climate

The Shire of Shark Bay has a mild arid tropical climate, with mean daily maximum temperatures ranging from 22 °C (72 °F) in July to 32 °C (90 °F) in February. Rainfall is low and variable, with most rain falling in the winter months and a certain amount due to cyclone activity. The average annual rainfall is 228 mm.

Population
Year Population
1911226
1921231
1933257
1947183
1954233
1961387
1966387
1971687
1976696
1981629
19861,081
19911,570
19961,840
20012,025
20061,841

Heritage-listed places
Cape Inscription lighthouse, Dirk Hartog Island,c.1910

As of 2020, 53 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Shark Bay,[5] of which three are on the State Register of Heritage Places, all on Dirk Hartog Island.[6]

Place name Place # Location Suburb or town Co-ordinates Built State
registered		 Notes
Cape Inscription Lighthouse & Quarters 3261 Cape Inscription Dirk Hartog Island 25.481919°S 112.971985°E / -25.481919; 112.971985 (Cape Inscription Lighthouse & Quarters) 1910 30 August 2001
  • Consists of a concrete lighthouse tower, quarters and outbuildings
  • Includes the following State Heritage listed-child places:
    • Cape Inscription Landing Site (23848)
    • Cape Inscription Lighthouse & Buildings (24591)

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Shark Bay (S)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  2. "Shark Bay Road Board Officials Dismissed". Northern Times. 75 (44). Western Australia. 1 November 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 19 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Municipality Boundary Amendments Register" (PDF). Western Australian Electoral Distribution Commission. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  4. http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/record=b1584263~S2 - being a play on the Hartog Plate as being an 'Inscription Post'
  5. "Shire of Shark Bay Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  6. "Shire of Shark Bay State Register of Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 April 2020.

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