The Shire of Meekatharra 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 ...

in the

Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

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 halfway between the town of

Port Hedland A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

and 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 ...

, Western Australia. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Meekatharra.

History

The Meekatharra Road District was established on 31 October 1909 out of the abolished Peak Hill Road District and

Nannine Road District The Nannine Road District was an early form of local government area on the Western Australian goldfields of the Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Reg ...

. It lost much of its territory to a reconstituted Nannine Road District on 7 December 1913, but regained much of that when the Nannine district was abolished for a second and final time on 24 January 1930. It became a shire on 1 July 1961 following the passage of the ''Local Government Act 1960'', which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.

Wards

The shire is divided into three wards: * Town Ward (five councillors) * Nannine Ward (two councillors) * Peak Hill Ward (two councillors)

Towns and localities

The towns and localities of the Shire of Meekatharra 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 ...

Ghost towns

Ghost towns in the Shire of Meekatharra: *

Gabanintha Gabanintha is a ghost town located in the Mid West region of Western Australia approximately 40 km south east of Meekatharra on the Meekatharra-Sandstone road. The town is situated within the Murchison goldfields. The name of the town i ...

Horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...

* Nannine * Peak Hill * Porlell

Heritage-listed places

As of 2021, 102 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Meekatharra, of which three 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, -26.593, 118.491, type:adm2nd_region:AU-WA, format=dms, display=title Meekatharra