The Shire of West Arthur is a
local government area 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 ...
, generally to the west of
Albany Highway
Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, on the state's south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions, and is designated State Route ...
about south-east of
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 i ...
, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of
Darkan. Industries within the Shire, worth approximately $45 million per year to the State's economy, are dominated by wool and sheep, and also include timber, grain, forestry, beef, pigs, cattle hide tanning, engineering and earthmoving.
History
The West Arthur Road District was created on 10 January 1896. On 1 July 1961, it became the Shire of West Arthur under the ''Local Government Act 1960'', which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.
The name relates to its position with respect to the former Arthur Road District, which was renamed to
Wagin in 1905.
Wards
The ward system was discontinued on 20 October 2007 and all nine councillors represent the entire shire.
Previously, the shire was divided into four wards:
* North West (three councillors)
* North East (two councillors)
* South East (two councillors)
* South West (two councillors)
Towns
*
Darkan
*
Arthur River
* Bokal
*
Boolading
* Bowelling
* Cordering
*
Duranillin
*
Moodiarrup
* Trigwell
Population
Heritage-listed places
As of 2021, 60 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of West Arthur, 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, -33.338, 116.743, type:adm2nd_region:AU-WA, format=dms, display=title
West Arthur