Shire of Wandering
The Shire of Wandering is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, and, with a population of 444 as at the 2016 census, is one of the nation's smallest. It covers an area of 1,901 square kilometres (734 sq mi) generally to the east of Albany Highway about 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-east of Perth, the state capital. The Shire's seat of government is the town of Wandering.
| Shire of Wandering Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
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 The Wandering Shire offices | |||||||||||||||
 Location in Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
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| Population | 444 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.23359/km2 (0.6050/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 1,900.8 km2 (733.9 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Shire President | Ian Turton | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Wandering | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Wheatbelt | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Wagin | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | O'Connor | ||||||||||||||
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| Website | Shire of Wandering | ||||||||||||||
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History
The Wandering Road District was gazetted on 6 October 1874 out of land previously part of the Williams Road District.[2]
On 1 July 1961, it became a shire following the enactment of the Local Government Act 1960, which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.[3]
Wards
The Shire is undivided and is represented by seven councillors.
From 1941 until the 2009 elections, it was divided into four wards as follows:
- North Ward (two councillors)
- North East Ward (two councillors)
- South Ward (two councillors)
- Town Ward (one councillor)
Towns and localities
- Wandering
- Bannister (part)
- Codjatotine
- Dwarda
- Mooterdine
- North Bannister
- Pumphreys Bridge
Population
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1911 | 441 |
| 1921 | 564 |
| 1933 | 450 |
| 1947 | 419 |
| 1954 | 557 |
| 1961 | 661 |
| 1966 | 611 |
| 1971 | 500 |
| 1976 | 470 |
| 1981 | 487 |
| 1986 | 402 |
| 1991 | 414 |
| 1996 | 370 |
| 2001 | 318 |
| 2006 | 355 |
| 2011 | 438 |
| 2016 | 444 |
Heritage-listed places
As of 2021, 32 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Wandering,[4] of which none are on the State Register of Heritage Places.[5]
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Wandering (S)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- "Tuesday, 6th October, 1874" (PDF). Government Gazette of Western Australia. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- "Municipality Boundary Amendments Register" (PDF). Western Australian Electoral Distribution Commission. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- "Shire of Wandering Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- "Shire of Wandering State Register of Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
