City of Greater Geraldton
City of Greater Geraldton Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
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Population | 38,634 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 3.06000/km2 (7.92536/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Established | 2011 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 12,625.5 km2 (4,874.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Council seat | Geraldton | ||||||||||||||
Region | Mid West | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Geraldton | ||||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Durack | ||||||||||||||
Website | City of Greater Geraldton | ||||||||||||||
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The City of Greater Geraldton is a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, 424 kilometres (263 mi) north of the state capital, Perth on the Indian Ocean. It covers an area of 12,625.5 square kilometres (4,874.7 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Geraldton.
It was established on 1 July 2011 following the amalgamation of the Shire of Mullewa and the City of Geraldton-Greenough, itself a product of a 2007 amalgamation between the City of Geraldton and Shire of Greenough.
History[]
A recommendation was made to the Minister for Local Government by the Local Government Advisory Board in August 2006 to amalgamate the Shire of Greenough with the City of Geraldton.
The Greenough electors successfully petitioned for a referendum to determine whether amalgamation should proceed. This was held on 2 December 2006, and with a participation rate of 28.74%, a majority of 80% voted against the proposal.[2] However, under the Local Government Act 1995 (clause 10 of Schedule 2.1) as the vote did not attract 50% of registered voters, it did not meet the requirements for a valid poll.[3]
The Liberal government, elected in mid-2008, announced its intentions to amalgamate local governments around the state in line with reforms undertaken elsewhere in Australia. Ultimately, the plan did not succeed, but a number of local governments commenced negotiations for voluntary mergers. One such group included the City, the Shire of Chapman Valley and the Shire of Mullewa. In February 2010, Chapman Valley decided not to proceed, citing community opposition.[4][5] In December 2010, the Local Government Advisory Board approved the merger.[6] Polls were held in both municipalities, with 72.61% of voters in Geraldton-Greenough and 83.23% of voters in Mullewa voting against the merger.[7] However, both polls failed to reach the minimum 50% required to be a valid poll, and the City of Greater Geraldton came into being on 1 July 2011.
Until the October 2011 elections, the council was administered by five commissioners, led by , the mayor of City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and including Ian Carpenter, the mayor of the former City and Nino Messina, the mayor of the former Shire.[8]
Wards[]
The City is divided into seven wards, each with two councillors, plus a directly elected mayor to serve the entire district.[9]
- Champion Bay Ward – contains Beresford, Spalding and Webberton
- Chapman Ward – contains Bluff Point, Drummond Cove, Glenfield, Sunset Beach and Waggrakine
- Port Ward – contains Geraldton itself, Beachlands and Mahomets Flats
- Tarcoola Ward – contains Mount Tarcoola, Tarcoola Beach and Wandina
- Willcock Ward – contains Karloo, Rangeway, Wonthella and part of Utakarra
- Hills Ward – contains the majority of the former City's land area, and includes the suburbs of Strathalbyn and Woorree
- Mullewa Ward – the entire former Shire of Mullewa.
Suburbs[]
There are 57 individual suburbs within the City of Greater Geraldton.
- Ambania
- Beachlands
- Beresford
- Bluff Point
- Bootenal
- Bringo
- Burma Road
- Cape Burney
- Deepdale
- Devils Creek
- Drummond Cove
- East Chapman
- Ellendale
- Eradu
- Eradu South
- Georgina
- Geraldton
- Glenfield
- Greenough
- Houtman Abrolhos
- Karloo
- Mahomets Flats
- Meru
- Minnenooka
- Moonyoonooka
- Moresby
- Mount Hill
- Mount Tarcoola
- Mullewa
- Narngulu
- Northern Gully
- Nunierra
- Pindar
- Rangeway
- Rudds Gully
- Sandsprings
- South Greenough
- Spalding
- Strathalbyn
- Sunset Beach
- Tarcoola Beach
- Tardun
- Tenindewa
- Tibradden
- Utakarra
- Waggrakine
- Walkaway
- Wandina
- Webberton
- West Casuarinas
- West End
- Wicherina
- Wicherina South
- Wongoondy
- Wonthella
- Woorree
Towns[]
- Cape Burney
- Drummond Cove
- Eradu
- Greenough
- Kojarena
- Minnenooka
- Moonyoonooka
- Mullewa
- Pindar
- Tardun
- Tenindewa
- Walkaway
- Wandanooka
- Wicherina
- Wilroy
- Wongoondy
- Woolgorong
Mayors[]
Population[]
The population of Greater Geraldton grew from 34,019 in 2001 to 38,634 at the 2016 census, representing an increase of 14%. Unemployment in Greater Geraldton at the census was estimated at 8.8%, compared to 7.8% in Western Australia and 6.9% nationally.[1]
The historical populations of the area which formed Geraldton-Greenough were:
Year | Population | Geraldton | Greenough | Mullewa |
---|---|---|---|---|
1921 | 6,365 | 4,174 | 1,375 | 816 |
1933 | 8,162 | 4,984 | 1,556 | 1,622 |
1947 | 8,864 | 5,972 | 1,567 | 1,325 |
1954 | 11,337 | 8,309 | 1,371 | 1,657 |
1961 | 13,842 | 10,894 | 1,321 | 1,627 |
1966 | 15,544 | 12,125 | 1,594 | 1,825 |
1971 | 18,887 | 15,118 | 1,920 | 1,849 |
1976 | 22,501 | 17,663 | 2,979 | 1,859 |
1981 | 25,356 | 19,096 | 4,612 | 1,648 |
1986 | 27,176 | 19,923 | 5,798 | 1,455 |
1991 | 29,537 | 20,521 | 7,626 | 1,390 |
1996 | 31,237 | 19,724 | 10,337 | 1,176 |
2001 | 32,196 | 19,179 | 11,927 | 1,090 |
2006 | 33,372 | 18,916 | 13,545 | 911 |
Heritage-listed places[]
As of 2021, 733 places are heritage-listed in the City of Greater Geraldton,[10] of which 84 are on the State Register of Heritage Places.[11]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Greater Geraldton (C)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ Western Australian Electoral Commission (2 December 2006). "Greenough – Voting in Person Referendum". Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2007.
- ^ Local Government Advisory Board (December 2006). "Inquiry Reports – Geraldton Greenough Inquiry Report". Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2007.
- ^ "Local mergers 'doomed from beginning'". ABC News. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ "Councils push ahead with merger deal". ABC News. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ Local Government Advisory Board (December 2010). "Assessment of the Proposals for Amalgamation and Boundary Amendments involving the City of Geraldton-Greenough and the Shires of Mullewa and Chapman Valley". Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ Western Australian Electoral Commission (16 April 2011). Mullewa Archived 14 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine and Geraldton-Greenough Archived 14 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine results. Accessed 26 July 2011.
- ^ City of Greater Geraldton. "Commissioners". Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1995 – City of Geraldton-Greenough (Creation) Order 2007" (PDF). Western Australia Government Gazette. 30 March 2007. pp. 2007:1458–1468. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
- ^ "City of Greater Geraldton Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ "City of Greater Geraldton State Register of Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
External links[]
- Populated places established in 2011
- 2011 establishments in Australia
- Local government areas of the Mid West region of Western Australia