The Shire of Ashburton is one of the four

local government areas 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, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

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 ...

, covering an area of . It is named after the Ashburton River. The shire's administration centre is in the town of Tom Price. It had a population of about 13,000 as at the

2016 Census Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...

, most of whom live in the mining towns or in nearby mining camps. Most of the land is taken up by

pastoral lease A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Australia Pastoral lease ...

s or protected areas (including the

Karijini National Park Karijini National Park is an List of national parks of Australia, Australian national park centred in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in the northwestern section of Western Australia. The park is located north of the Tropic of Caprico ...

). Other than agriculture, industries important to Ashburton include mining, oil, natural gas, fishing, and tourism.

History

It was established on 27 May 1972 as the Shire of West Pilbara, formed by the amalgamation of the original

Shire of Ashburton The Shire of Ashburton is one of the four local government areas in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, covering an area of . It is named after the Ashburton River. The shire's administration centre is in the town of Tom Price. It had a ...

and the

Shire of Tableland The Shire of Tableland was a local government area in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It was based in the Hamersley Range and had an office at Tambrey Station until the 1940s, met at Coolawanyah Station in the late 1940s, and met at W ...

. The new shire was described at the time as "the largest workable shire in Australia". It was originally based at Onslow, with a second office at Wittenoom. It originally had nine members divided into six wards, but by 1977 had one councillor for each of the five towns in the shire ( Onslow, Pannawonica, Paraburdoo, Tom Price, Wittenoom) and four members for the rural areas of the shire. It was renamed the Shire of Ashburton on 18 December 1987. The name was changed to provide more identity to the particular region and to discriminate from the Newman region, which is also referred to as the "West Pilbara". It was decided to move the administration office from Onslow to the more centrally located town of Tom Price in January 1990, when the Shire's administration office was officially opened in Poinciana Street.

Wards

The Shire is divided into 6 Wards, 9 Councillors in total. * Tom Price (3 Councillors) * Paraburdoo (2 Councillors) * Ashburton (1 Councillor) * Onslow (1 Councillor) * Pannawonica (1 Councillor) * Tableland (1 Councillor)

Towns and localities

The towns and localities of the Shire of Ashburton with population and size figures based on the most recent

Australian census The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...

Heritage-listed places

As of 2021, 84 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Ashburton, of which six are on the

State Register of Heritage Places The State Register of Heritage Places is the heritage register of historic sites in Western Australia deemed significant at the state level by the Heritage Council of Western Australia. History In the 1970s, following its establishment of the ...

, among them

Nanutarra Station Nanutarra Station, commonly referred to as Nanutarra, is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station, and previously operated as a sheep station, in Western Australia. Description It is situated about south of Onslow and south east o ...

and Peedamulla Homestead.

References

External links