| Shire of Dandaragan Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
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 The Dandaragan shire offices in Jurien Bay | |||||||||||||||
 Location inWestern Australia | |||||||||||||||
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| Population | 3,355 (LGA2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1890 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 6,716.3 km2 (2,593.2 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Shire President | Tony O'Gorman[2][3] | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Jurien Bay | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Wheatbelt | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Moore | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Durack | ||||||||||||||
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| Website | Shire of Dandaragan | ||||||||||||||
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TheShire of Dandaragan is alocal government area located in theWheatbelt region ofWestern Australia, about 200 kilometres (124 mi) north of the state capital,Perth. The Shire covers an area of 6,716 square kilometres (2,593 sq mi) and its seat of government is the town ofJurien Bay.
TheDandaraga Road District was created on 27 February 1890. It was renamed theDandaragan Road District on 22 July 1932. On 1 July 1961, it became a shire following the enactment of theLocal Government Act 1960, which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.[4]
Until the late 1960s it was a sparsely populated agricultural shire, but the coastal towns of Jurien Bay andCervantes and the popularity ofThe Pinnacles Desert with tourists have helped to fuel the Shire's growth. Originally the Shire's main administration centre was in the small town of Dandaragan, however due to the disproportionate population growth in the town of Jurien Bay the administration was relocated there in 2003.
On 22 May 1971, the shire was divided into Coastal, Central, North and South wards, and its representation increased from seven to nine councillors.[5] Over time, the Coastal ward increased in size, and ultimately on 2 May 1987, the ward was abolished and two new wards, Cervantes and Jurien, were created.[6] By 3 November 1989, the following wards existed:[4]
On 7 May 2005, the shire was redivided into two wards:
By the 2009 Council elections all wards had been abolished and nine councillors represent the whole shire.
The towns and localities of the Shire of Dandaragan with population and size figures based on themost recentAustralian census:[7][8]
| Locality | Population | Area | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Badgingarra | 173 (SAL2021)[9] | 1,126.6 km2 (435.0 sq mi) |  |
| Boothendarra | 31 (SAL2021)[10] | 630 km2 (240 sq mi) |  |
| Cataby | 103 (SAL2021)[11] | 178.3 km2 (68.8 sq mi) |  |
| Cervantes | 480 (SAL2021)[12][13] | 9.8 km2 (3.8 sq mi) |  |
| Cooljarloo | 13 (SAL2021)[14] | 672.2 km2 (259.5 sq mi) |  |
| Dandaragan | 292 (SAL2021)[15] | 974.4 km2 (376.2 sq mi) |  |
| Grey | 5 (SAL2021)[16] | 1.8 km2 (0.69 sq mi) |  |
| Hill River | 107 (SAL2021)[17] | 624.4 km2 (241.1 sq mi) |  |
| Jurien Bay | 1,985 (SAL2021)[18] | 525.3 km2 (202.8 sq mi) |  |
| Mimegarra | 11 (SAL2021)[19] | 307.5 km2 (118.7 sq mi) |  |
| Nambung | 25 (SAL2021)[20] | 577.2 km2 (222.9 sq mi) |  |
| Regans Ford | 25 (SAL2016)[21][22] | 245.8 km2 (94.9 sq mi) |  |
| Wedge Island | 18 (SAL2021)[23] | 217.05 km2 (83.80 sq mi) |  |
| Yathroo | 82 (SAL2021)[24] | 624.4 km2 (241.1 sq mi) |  |
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As of 2023, 98 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Dandaragan,[25] of which none are on theState Register of Heritage Places.[26]
30°17′49″S115°02′31″E / 30.297°S 115.042°E /-30.297; 115.042