Wakefield Regional Council 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

Yorke and Mid North In South Australia, one of the states of Australia, there are many areas which are commonly known by regional names. Regions are areas that share similar characteristics. These characteristics may be natural such as the Murray River, the coast ...

region of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. The council seat is at

Balaklava Balaklava ( uk, Балаклáва, russian: Балаклáва, crh, Balıqlava, ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Crim ...

Geography

The Wakefield Regional Council includes the towns and localities of Avon,

, Barunga Gap,

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

, Blyth, Bowillia, Bowmans, Brinkworth, Bumbunga, Burnsfield, Condowie,

Dalkey Dalkey ( ; ) is an affluent suburb of Dublin, and a seaside resort southeast of the city, and the town of Dún Laoghaire, in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in the historic County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded as a Viking settlement ...

Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...

, Everard Central, Goyder,

Hart Hart often refers to: * Hart (deer) Hart may also refer to: Organizations * Hart Racing Engines, a former Formula One engine manufacturer * Hart Skis, US ski manufacturer * Hart Stores, a Canadian chain of department stores * Hart's Reptile W ...

Hope Gap ''Hope Gap'' is a 2019 British drama film written and directed by William Nicholson, adapted from his 1999 play ''The Retreat from Moscow''. The film stars Annette Bening, Bill Nighy, Josh O'Connor, Aiysha Hart, Ryan McKen, Steven Pacey and N ...

, Hoskin Corner,

Inkerman Inkerman ( uk, Інкерман, russian: Инкерман, crh, İnkerman) is a city in the Crimean peninsula. It is ''de facto'' within the federal city of Sevastopol within the Russian Federation, but ''de jure'' within Ukraine. It lies 5 ...

, Kallora, Kybunga, Lake View, Lochiel, Marola, Mount Templeton, Nantawarra,

Owen Owen may refer to: Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin. Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born. Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...

, Pinery,

Port Wakefield Port Wakefield may refer to. Australia *Port Wakefield, South Australia, a town and locality * Port Wakefield railway line, part of the now-closed Balaklava-Moonta railway line in South Australia * Port Wakefield Circuit, a former motor racing cir ...

, Proof Range,

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

Saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

, Snowtown, Stockyard Creek,

Stow Stow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Stow, Lincolnshire or Stow-in-Lindsey, a village * Stow of Wedale or Stow, Scottish Borders, a village * Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, a small town * Stow, Shropshire or Stowe, a village * Stow ...

, Watchman and Whitwarta, and parts of

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' (play), a 1996 drama by Joshua Sobol about Alma ...

, Barabba, Bute, Grace Plains, Halbury,

Hamley Bridge Hamley Bridge is a community in South Australia located at the junction of the Gilbert River (South Australia), Gilbert and Light River (South Australia), Light rivers, as well as the site of a former railway junction. Named by the government of ...

, Hoyleton, Long Plains, Mundoora, Salter Springs, South Hummocks,

Wild Horse Plains Wild Horse Plains is a locality in South Australia on the eastern coastline of Gulf St Vincent about north-northwest of the Adelaide city centre. Its name is attributed to Thomas Day, who found wild horses grazing within the locality around 187 ...

, and Wokurna. On the west side of the Wakefield Regional Council's area is the coastal fringe along the north east of

Gulf St Vincent Gulf St Vincent, sometimes referred to as St Vincent Gulf, St Vincent's Gulf or Gulf of St Vincent, is the eastern of two large inlets of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, the other being the larger Sp ...

and the

Hummocks In geology, a hummock is a small knoll or mound above ground.Bates, Robert L. and Julia A. Jackson, ed. (1984). “hummock.” Dictionary of Geological Terms, 3rd Ed. New York: Anchor Books. p. 241. They are typically less than in height and ...

and Barunga ranges. The area spans wide fertile plains to the north

Mount Lofty Ranges The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and ...

on its eastern border. Immediately to the east of the Hummocks and Barunga ranges are a series are low-lying salt lakes, of which

Lake Bumbunga Lake Bumbunga is a salt lake located in the Mid North of the state of South Australia, between the town of Lochiel and the farming locality of Bumbunga, approximately 1.5 hours' drive from Adelaide. It is a pink lake, with its colour due to c ...

is the largest. The

Wakefield River The Wakefield River is an ephemeral river that flows to an estuary in the Australian state of South Australia. Course and features The river rises above , flowing southward, passing the towns of Watervale and Auburn, where it is fed by severa ...

, from which the council name derives, flows from east to west across the council region approximately a third of the way from south to north border. A portion of the

River Light The Light River (Kaurna: ''Yarralinka''), commonly called the River Light, is a seasonal and significant river in the Mid North region of the Australian state of South Australia named for early surveyor William Light. The River Light has give ...

and its confluence with the Gilbert River forms the south eastern border of the council area.

History

The Wakefield Regional Council came into being on 1 July 1997, as a result of the amalgamation of the former

District Council of Blyth-Snowtown The District Council of Blyth-Snowtown (established as the District Council of Blyth and Snowtown) was a local government area in South Australia from 1987 until 1997. On 9 December 1987 the council was established by the amalgamation of the D ...

and the

District Council of Wakefield Plains The District Council of Wakefield Plains was a local government area in South Australia from 1983 to 1997, seated at Balaklava. History The District Council of Wakefield Plains was established on 1 July 1983 as a result of the amalgamation of t ...

. The amalgamation occurred when much of the boundary reform of the local government was coming from the State Government as a result of various provisions contained in the "Local Government Act 1934". As a result, the number of local councils in South Australia was reduced from 118 to 68 by the deadline of 30 June 1999. The area falling under Wakefield Regional Council has been much affected by local government boundary changes that have taken place since the early 1980s. Prior to 1983, five district councils had served the area currently covered by the council since the previous major consolidation of local government bodies in 1935. The district councils in the area prior to 1983 were the

District Council of Balaklava The District Council of Balaklava was a local government area seated at Balaklava in South Australia from 1877 to 1983. History The District Council of Balaklava was officially proclaimed as incorporating the entire Hundred of Balaklava on 20 ...

, the

District Council of Blyth The District Council of Blyth was a local government area in South Australia from 1872 to 1987 seated at Blyth in the Mid North. History The District Council of Blyth was officially proclaimed on 11 January 1872 as constituting the entirety of ...

, the

District Council of Owen A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, the

District Council of Port Wakefield The District Council of Port Wakefield was a local government area seated at Port Wakefield in South Australia from 1878 to 1983. History The District Council of Port Wakefield was officially proclaimed along with its new neighbouring councils ...

and the

District Council of Snowtown The District Council of Snowtown was a local government area in South Australia from 1888 to 1987. History The District Council of Snowtown was officially proclaimed on 5 January 1888 by the ''District Councils Act 1887'' as constituting the Hu ...

. The wards of the new Wakefield Regional Council completely erased the old ward boundaries. The entirety of the former Blyth and Snowtown councils as well as small parts of the former Balaklava and Port Wakefield councils became the new North ward. Most of the former Port Wakefield and Balaklava councils became the new Central ward. And the approximate area of the former Owen council became the new South ward.

Transport

The Wakefield Regional Council is well served by a developed transport and communication networks. The main roads, which include the

Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...

, are all sealed and there are well maintained minor gravel roads. There is no rail service for passengers in the council area, but it is traversed by the Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line.

Demographics

The population of Wakefield Regional Council is 6,756 (2009 estimate). The council recorded a net decrease in its population of 4.2% between 1991-2001, about 27 people per annum. In 2001, the median age of the population was 39, an increase of 5 years since 1991, indicating a trend towards an aging population. The council's geographical area covers in which of road existed at 30 June 2002. As at 1 July 2005, the total assessed value within the council area was $1,354,733,680 (capital value).

Councillors

The Wakefield Regional Council has a directly-elected mayor.

References

External links

Map of council wards
{{coord, 34.1475, S, 138.415555556, E, source:dewiki_region:AU-SA_type:adm2nd, format=dms, display=title Local government areas of South Australia