Shire of Shark Bay

Infobox Australian Place | type = lga
name = Shire of Shark Bay
state = wa


imagesize= 180
caption = Location in Western Australia
pop = 863 (2006 census)
density =
area = 25423
est = 1904
seat = Denham
mayor = Bob Eddington
region = Gascoyne

url = http://www.sharkbay.wa.gov.au
stategov = North West
fedgov = Kalgoorlie
near-nw = "Indian Ocean"
near-n = Carnarvon
near-ne = Upper Gascoyne
near-e = Murchison
near-se = Northampton
near-s = Northampton
near-sw = "Indian Ocean"
near-w = "Indian Ocean"

The Shire of Shark Bay is a Local Government Area of Western Australia. It has an area of 25,423km² and a population of about 950. It is made up of two peninsulas, located at the western most point of Australia. There is one town in the Shire of Shark Bay, Denham, which is the administrative centre for the Shire. There are also a number of small communities; they are Useless Loop (a now-closed mining site), Monkey Mia (a popular resort where Dolphins come in), Nanga and Hamelin Pool. The Overlander and The Billabong are roadhouses.

History

The Shark Bay Road Board was gazetted in 1904. On 1 July 1961, it became a Shire Council following changes to the Local Government Act. [WA Electoral Commission, "Municipality Boundary Amendments Register" (release 2.0), 31 May 2003.]

Wards

The Shire is divided into 3 wards:

* Denham Ward (5 councillors)
* Pastoral Ward (1 councillor)
* Useless Loop Ward (1 councillor)

Economy

Major employers include the salt works at Useless Loop along with the fishing industry and the various retail outlets meeting the needs of the tourist industry. There are some 30 personnel employed by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and twenty by the Shire. There is a primary school and a Distance Education structured secondary school. Numbers of school aged children fluctuate around the 100 mark. The Police Station is manned by 3 officers.

Local industries include tourism, fishing, salt, pearl marine culturing, mining of shell grit and various pastoral activities.

Tourism

The creation of the Shark Bay World Heritage Site has created significant impact on the community within the shire area.

Climate

The Shire of Shark Bay has a mild arid tropical climate, with mean daily maximum temperatures ranging from 22 °C (72 °F) in July to 32 °C (90 °F) in February. Rainfall is low and variable, with most rain falling in the winter months and a certain amount due to cyclone activity. The average annual rainfall is 228 mm.

References

External links

;Official websites::* [http://www.sharkbay.wa.gov.au Shire of Shark Bay]