The Shire of Yilgarn 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 eastern 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 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 is ...

, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

. The main industries within the Shire are mining and farming.

History

The Yilgarn Road District was established on 24 December 1891. The town of

separated as the Municipality of Southern Cross on 16 June 1892, but was re-absorbed into the road district on 8 February 1918. On 1 July 1961, it became a shire under the ''Local Government Act 1960'', which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.

Wards

The Shire of Yilgarn has no wards. The Shire of Yilgarn has 7

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

Towns and localities

Many of the following are

ghost towns Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by Alle ...

associated with short-lived mineral booms between the 1890s and the 1940s.

Notable councillors

* William Oats, Southern Cross Municipality mayor 1895–1896; later a state MP *

Harold Seddon Sir Harold Seddon (6 March 1881 – 25 February 1958) was an Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1922 to 1954. He was President of the Legislative Council from 1946 to 1954. Early ...

, Southern Cross Municipality councillor late 1910s; later a state MP *

Lionel Kelly Lionel Francis Kelly (22 January 1897 – 16 April 1977) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1941 to 1968. He was initially elected as an independent, but in 1946 joined the Labor ...

, Yilgarn Road Board member 1929–1932, 1932–1943; later a state MP *

John Panizza John Horace Panizza (; 24 March 1931 – 31 January 1997) was an Australian politician. Born at Southern Cross, Western Australia, he was a farmer and property developer, and served on Yilgarn Shire Council. In 1987, he was elected to the ...

, Shire of Yilgarn councillor 1975–1987, president 1982–1987; later a senator

Heritage-listed places

As of 2021, 116 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Yilgarn, of which 13 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, -31.254, 119.344, type:adm2nd_region:AU-WA, format=dms, display=title Yilgarn