The Shire of Halls Creek 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 Kimberley region of northern

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 , most of which is sparsely populated. The Shire's seat of government is the town of

Halls Creek Halls is a plural of the word hall. Halls may also refer to: People * Walter Halls (1871–1953), British trade unionist and politician * Ethel May Halls (1882–1967), American actress * Julian Halls (born 1967), British field hockey player * ...

. Many Aboriginal communities are located within the shire. The

Purnululu National Park The Purnululu National Park is a World Heritage Site in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. The national park is located approximately south of Kununurra, with Halls Creek located to the south. Declared a World Heritage Site in 2 ...

, home to part of the Bungle Bungle Range, and Gregory Lake are within the Shire, as is the

Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater National Park Wolfe Creek Crater National Park is a national park in Western Australia, northeast of Perth. It contains Wolfe Creek Crater. The park lies about South from Halls Creek and can be accessed via the Tanami Road. The park is located on the edge ...

History

The Shire of Halls Creek originated as the Kimberley Goldfields Road District on 10 February 1887. It was renamed the Halls Creek Road District on 8 January 1915. On 1 July 1961, it became a shire following the passage of the ''Local Government Act 1960'', which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.

Stations

The area is home to many large cattle stations including

Bedford Downs Station Bedford Downs, or Bedford Downs Station, is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in Western Australia. It is situated about west of Warmun and north of Halls Creek in the Kimberley region. Both the station and nearby Mount B ...

, which was established some time prior to 1906 by the Buchanan and Gordon brothers. Other properties in the area include

Alice Downs Alice Downs Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in Western Australia. it is one of four stations known as the Springvale Aggregation, owned by Harvest Road. History The property was established prior to 1901; the ...

, Louisa Downs,

Moola Bulla Moola Bulla Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is approximately west of Halls Creek and south of Warmun, and occupies an area of . It bisects the watershed of the ...

, Springvale and

Ruby Plains Station Ruby Plains Station is a pastoral lease and cattle station located about south of Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is situated along the Tanami Track and is used as a stopping place along the Canning Stock Route ...

Elected council

Councillors are elected at-large to represent the whole shire. Previously the council consisted of three wards. A review of wards and representation was carried out in late 2008 and, at its December 2008 meeting, the council resolved to recommend to the Local Government Advisory Board that the wards be abolished.

Towns and communities

* Balgo *

Billiluna (Mindibungu) Billiluna, also known as Mindibungu and Kururrungku, is a medium-sized Aboriginal community, located approximately south of Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, within the Shire of Halls Creek. In the , Billiluna had a t ...

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

* Kundat Djaru (Ringer Soak) *

Warmun Warmun Community (also known as Turkey Creek) and Warmun are a township and locality in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth, Western Australia. The closest populated town is Hal ...

(Turkey Creek) * Yiyili

Heritage-listed places

As of 2021, 27 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Halls Creek, of which five 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, -18.227, 127.668, type:adm2nd_region:AU-WA, format=dms, display=title