City of Greater Geraldton explained

Type:	lga
City of Greater Geraldton
City:	Geraldton
State:	wa
Region:	Mid West
Area:	12625.5
Timezone:	AWST
Seat:	Geraldton
Local Map Id:	Q614973
Est:	2011
Image2 Upright:	0.81
Coordinates:	28.7761° S, 114.6113° E
Local Map:	yes
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Logo Upright:	1.2
Mayor:	Jerry Clune^[1]
Url:	http://www.cgg.wa.gov.au
Fedgov:	Durack
Stategov:	Geraldton, Agricultural Region
Near-Nw:	Indian Ocean
Near-N:	Murchison, Chapman Valley
Near-Ne:	Murchison
Near-E:	Yalgoo
Near-Se:	Morawa
Near-S:	Mingenew, Irwin
Near-Sw:	Indian Ocean
Near-W:	Indian Ocean

The City of Greater Geraldton is a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, 424km (263miles) north of the state capital, Perth on the Indian Ocean. It covers an area of 12625.5km2, and its seat of government is the town of Geraldton.

It was established on 1st July 2011 following the amalgamation of the Shire of Mullewa and the City of Geraldton-Greenough, itself a product of a 2007 amalgamation between the City of Geraldton and Shire of Greenough.

History

A recommendation was made to the Minister for Local Government by the Local Government Advisory Board in August 2006 to amalgamate the Shire of Greenough with the City of Geraldton.

The Greenough electors successfully petitioned for a referendum to determine whether amalgamation should proceed. This was held on 2 December 2006, and with a participation rate of 28.74%, a majority of 80% voted against the proposal.^[2] However, under the Local Government Act 1995 (clause 10 of Schedule 2.1) as the vote did not attract 50% of registered voters, it did not meet the requirements for a valid poll.^[3]

The Liberal government, elected in mid-2008, announced its intentions to amalgamate local governments around the state in line with reforms undertaken elsewhere in Australia. Ultimately, the plan did not succeed, but a number of local governments commenced negotiations for voluntary mergers. One such group included the City, the Shire of Chapman Valley and the Shire of Mullewa. In February 2010, Chapman Valley decided not to proceed, citing community opposition.^[4] ^[5] In December 2010, the Local Government Advisory Board approved the merger.^[6] Polls were held in both municipalities, with 72.61% of voters in Geraldton-Greenough and 83.23% of voters in Mullewa voting against the merger.^[7] However, both polls failed to reach the minimum 50% required to be a valid poll, and the City of Greater Geraldton came into being on 1 July 2011.

Until the October 2011 elections, the council was administered by five commissioners, led by Ron Yuryevich, the mayor of City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and including Ian Carpenter, the mayor of the former City and Nino Messina, the mayor of the former Shire.^[8]

Wards

Wards were abolished in 2019 and all twelve councillors represent the area at large.^[9]

Prior to 2019, the city was divided into seven wards, each with two councillors, plus a directly elected mayor to serve the entire district.^[10]

Champion Bay Ward – contains Beresford, Spalding and Webberton
Chapman Ward – contains Bluff Point, Drummond Cove, Glenfield, Sunset Beach and Waggrakine
Port Ward – contains Geraldton itself, Beachlands and Mahomets Flats
Tarcoola Ward – contains Mount Tarcoola, Tarcoola Beach and Wandina
Willcock Ward – contains Karloo, Rangeway, Wonthella and part of Utakarra
Hills Ward – contains the majority of the former City's land area, and includes the suburbs of Strathalbyn and Woorree
Mullewa Ward – the entire former Shire of Mullewa.

Towns, suburbs and localities

The towns, suburbs and localities of the City of Greater Geraldton with population and size figures based on the most recent Australian census:^[11] ^[12]

Locality

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Population

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Area

Map

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Id:	Q5034628
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Id:	Q55448940
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Id:	Q55448941
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Id:	Q5384809
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Id:	Q55448939
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Id:	Q55448949
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Id:	Q29162121
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Id:	Q5568503
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Id:	Q1544757
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Id:	Q640228
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Id:	Q3193497
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Id:	Q15057082
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Id:	Q3277874
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Id:	Q6820750
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Id:	Q29452654
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Id:	Q21886605
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Id:	Q6911416
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Id:	Q55448937
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Id:	Q6924049
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Id:	Q21886820
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Id:	Q14935876
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Id:	Q55451824
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Id:	Q55448929
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Id:	Q7195000
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Id:	Q7292809
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Id:	Q7376853
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Id:	Q55448943
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Id:	Q55448938
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Id:	Q7572963
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Id:	Q7622019
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Id:	Q7641224
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Id:	Q7685693
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Id:	Q7685728
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Id:	Q7699856
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Id:	Q55466875
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Id:	Q7902555
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Waggrakine *

Id:	Q7959547
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Id:	Q7962161
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Id:	Q7967262
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Id:	Q7978701
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Id:	Q55466871
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Id:	Q7985047
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Id:	Q30126345
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Id:	Q55448944
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Id:	Q50407744
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Id:	Q8032110
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Id:	Q8034043
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(* indicates locality is only partially located within the city)

Mayors

See main article: List of mayors of Geraldton.

Population

The population of Greater Geraldton grew from 34,019 in 2001 to 38,634 at the 2016 census, representing an increase of 14%. Unemployment in Greater Geraldton at the census was estimated at 8.8%, compared to 7.8% in Western Australia and 6.9% nationally.

The historical populations of the area which formed Geraldton-Greenough were:

Year	Population	Geraldton	Greenough	Mullewa
1921	6,365	4,174	1,375	816
1933	8,162	4,984	1,556	1,622
1947	8,864	5,972	1,567	1,325
1954	11,337	8,309	1,371	1,657
1961	13,842	10,894	1,321	1,627
1966	15,544	12,125	1,594	1,825
1971	18,887	15,118	1,920	1,849
1976	22,501	17,663	2,979	1,859
1981	25,356	19,096	4,612	1,648
1986	27,176	19,923	5,798	1,455
1991	29,537	20,521	7,626	1,390
1996	31,237	19,724	10,337	1,176
2001	32,196	19,179	11,927	1,090
2006	33,372	18,916	13,545	911

Heritage-listed places

See main article: List of State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Greater Geraldton. As of 2023, 744 places are heritage-listed in the City of Greater Geraldton,^[13] of which 86 are on the State Register of Heritage Places.^[14]

Notes and References

Web site: 2023 Ordinary Election - Greater Geraldton . 2023 . www.elections.wa.gov.au . . 5 November 2023 .
News: Greenough – Voting in Person Referendum . 2 December 2006 . Western Australian Electoral Commission . 28 April 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070830011637/http://www.waec.wa.gov.au/local/wards.asp?agencyid=66&electdate=2-Dec-2006&electionid=241 . 30 August 2007 . dead . dmy .
Web site: Inquiry Reports – Geraldton Greenough Inquiry Report. Local Government Advisory Board. December 2006. 28 April 2007. dead. http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090515035439/http://www.dlgrd.wa.gov.au/LocalGovt/AdvisoryBoard/InquiryReports.asp. 15 May 2009. dmy-all.
News: Local mergers 'doomed from beginning'. 24 February 2010. ABC News. 26 July 2011.
News: Councils push ahead with merger deal. 2 March 2011. ABC News. 26 July 2011.
Web site: Assessment of the Proposals for Amalgamation and Boundary Amendments involving the City of Geraldton-Greenough and the Shires of Mullewa and Chapman Valley. https://web.archive.org/web/20110220151421/http://dlg.wa.gov.au/OpenFile.ashx?Mode=446E37686749376A356D684D2B6E6D6D4D6E555273773D3D&ContentID=43517376735147317676513D. dead. 2011-02-20. December 2010. Local Government Advisory Board. 26 July 2011.
Western Australian Electoral Commission (16 April 2011). Mullewa and Geraldton-Greenough results. Accessed 26 July 2011.
Web site: Commissioners. City of Greater Geraldton. 26 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110921100312/http://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/your-council/commissioners. 21 September 2011. dead.
Web site: Minister approves changes to ward and representation . City of Greater Geraldton . 20 November 2024.
News: Local Government Act 1995 – City of Geraldton-Greenough (Creation) Order 2007 . Western Australia Government Gazette . 2007:1458–1468 . 30 March 2007 . 25 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928000633/http://www.greenough.wa.gov.au/cgg/pdfs/Governor's_Orders.pdf . 28 September 2007 . dead .
Web site: SLIP Map . . maps.slip.wa.gov.au . . 13 January 2023 .
Web site: NationalMap . . nationalmap.gov.au . . 13 January 2023 .
Web site: City of Greater Geraldton Heritage Places. . inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au . Heritage Council of Western Australia . 24 February 2023 .
Web site: City of Greater Geraldton State Register of Heritage Places. . inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au . Heritage Council of Western Australia . 24 February 2023 .