Shire of Shark Bay explained

Type:	lga
Shire of Shark Bay
State:	wa
Image Upright:	0.81
Area:	25423
Est:	1904
Seat:	Denham
Mayor:	Cheryl Cowell
Mayortitle:	Shire President
Region:	Gascoyne
Url:	http://www.sharkbay.wa.gov.au
Stategov:	North West Central
Fedgov:	Durack
Near-Nw:	Indian Ocean
Near-N:	Carnarvon
Near-Ne:	Upper Gascoyne
Near-E:	Murchison
Near-Se:	Northampton
Near-S:	Northampton
Near-Sw:	Indian Ocean
Near-W:	Indian Ocean

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 and Shark Bay, 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.

History

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

Wards

The Shire is divided into three wards:

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

Towns and localities

The towns and localities of the Shire of Shark Bay with population and size figures based on the most recent Australian census:^[3] ^[4]

Suburb

data-sort-type=number

Population

data-sort-type=number

Area

Map

Id:	Q55448909
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q31440611
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q55807733
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q992784
Zoom:	11
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q1227891
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q130362343
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q55807732
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q55807730
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q55448910
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q55448907
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q48505121
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q55807729
Zoom:	7
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q55807731
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q55807734
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q38083380
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q55448906
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

Id:	Q50407709
Zoom:	8
Mapframe:	yes
Wikidata:	yes

For the purpose of the 2021 Australian census, Francois Peron National Park was counted as part of Denham.
Boundaries of national park and locality are not identical

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 staffed 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.^[5]

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. On 18 February 2024, Shark Bay recorded a temperature of .^[6] ^[7] 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.

Heritage-listed places

See main article: List of heritage places in the Shire of Shark Bay., 53 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Shark Bay,^[8] of which three are on the State Register of Heritage Places, all on Dirk Hartog Island.^[9]

Notes and References

News: Shark Bay Road Board Officials Dismissed . . 75 . 44 . Western Australia . 1 November 1951 . 19 April 2017 . 1 . National Library of Australia.
Web site: Municipality Boundary Amendments Register . Western Australian Electoral Distribution Commission . 11 January 2020.
Web site: SLIP Map . . maps.slip.wa.gov.au . . 26 December 2022 .
Web site: NationalMap . . nationalmap.gov.au . . 26 December 2022 .
http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/record=b1584263~S2 - being a play on the Hartog Plate as being an 'Inscription Post'
Web site: Daily Extremes. Bureau of Meteorology. 18 February 2024. 19 February 2024.
Web site: 95402: Shark Bay Airport (Australia). . 18 February 2024. ogimet.com . OGIMET . 19 February 2024.
Web site: Shire of Shark Bay Heritage Places. . inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au . Heritage Council of Western Australia . 2 March 2024 .
Web site: Shire of Shark Bay State Register of Heritage Places. . inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au . Heritage Council of Western Australia . 2 March 2024 .