The District Council of Millicent (formerly the District Council of Mayurra) was 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 ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

seated at Millicent.

History

According to South Australian local government historian Sue Marsden "development of South Australia's South East was greatly helped by drainage schemes. Elsewhere in South Australia the Local Board of Main Roads was the precursor to local government, but in the South East it was district drainage boards." The original South-East Drainage District was formed in April 1876. Over the next five years parts were split off to form new drainage districts. The Mayurra Drainage District was established on 27 April 1882 in the vicinity of the Hundred of Mayurra and the township of Millicent, which lies across the hundred northern border in the Hundred of Mount Muirhead. The District Council of Mayurra was established in 1888 by the enactment of the

District Councils Act 1887 The District Councils Act 1887 was an act of the Parliament of South Australia. It received assent on 9 December 1887, and its provisions came into effect when proclaimed by Governor William C. F. Robinson on 5 January 1888. The legislation intr ...

, a statewide legislative push to ensure all settled areas of the state be under local governance. It stated that all existing drainage districts (and the accompanying drainage boards) were to effectively become district councils. In 1903 the council name was changed from Mayurra to Millicent. On 4 June 1914, Millicent annexed the

District Council of Mount Muirhead The District Council of Mount Muirhead was a local government area in South Australia from 1888 to 1914. History According to South Australian local government historian Sue Marsden "development of South Australia's South East was greatly helped ...

. The enlarged council area was divided into five wards: Central, Mayurra, Mount Muirhead, Nangula, and

Rendlesham Rendlesham is a village and civil parish near Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom. It was a royal centre of authority for the king of the East Angles, of the Wuffinga line; the proximity of the Sutton Hoo ship burial may indicate a connection ...

. The council amalgamated with the

District Council of Beachport A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

and

District Council of Penola A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

in 1997 to form the

Wattle Range Council Wattle Range Council is a local government area in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia. It stretches from the coast at Beachport east to the Victorian border. It had a population of over 11,000 as at the 2016 Census. The council is ...

References

Millicent {{Australia-gov-stub