The Shire of Dandaragan is 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 ...

located in the Wheatbelt 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 ...

, about north of the state capital,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of Jurien Bay.

History

The Dandaraga Road District was created on 27 February 1890. It was renamed the Dandaragan Road District on 22 July 1932. On 1 July 1961, it became a shire following the enactment of the ''Local Government Act 1960'', which reformed all remaining road districts into shires. Until the late 1960s it was a sparsely populated agricultural shire, but the coastal towns of Jurien Bay and

Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

and the popularity of

The Pinnacles Desert The Pinnacles are limestone formations within Nambung National Park, near the town of Cervantes, Western Australia. Features The area contains thousands of weathered limestone pillars. Some of the tallest pinnacles reach heights of up to 3.5 ...

with tourists have helped to fuel the Shire's growth. Originally the Shire's main administration centre was in the small town of Dandaragan, however due to the disproportionate population growth in the town of Jurien Bay the administration was relocated there in 2003.

Wards

On 22 May 1971, the shire was divided into Coastal, Central, North and South wards, and its representation increased from seven to nine councillors. Over time, the Coastal ward increased in size, and ultimately on 2 May 1987, the ward was abolished and two new wards, Cervantes and Jurien, were created. By 3 November 1989, the following wards existed: * Jurien Ward (three councillors) * Cervantes Ward (two councillors) * Badgingarra Ward (two councillors) (formerly North Ward) * Dandaragan Ward (three councillors) (formerly South Ward) On 7 May 2005, the shire was redivided into two wards: * North Ward (five councillors) * South Ward (four councillors) By the 2009 Council elections all wards had been abolished and nine councillors represent the whole shire.

Towns and localities

* Badgingarra * Boothendarra * Cataby *

* Cooljarloo *

Dandaragan Dandaragan is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The name of Dandaragan was first recorded in 1850 as the name of a nearby gulley and spring or watering hole known as Dandaraga spring. The word is Indigenous Australian ...

* Grey * Hill River * Jurien Bay * Mimegarra *

Nambung National Park Nambung National Park is a national park in the Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 200 km northwest of Perth, Australia and 17 km south of the small coastal town of Cervantes, Western Australia, Cervan ...

* Regans Ford * Wedge Island * Yathroo

Population

Heritage-listed places

As of 2021, 97 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Dandaragan, of which none 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 ...

References

External links

* {{coord, -30.297, 115.042, type:adm2nd_region:AU-WA, format=dms, display=title