Shire of Murchison
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Shire of Murchison Western Australia |
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Location in Western Australia
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| Population | 114 (2011) | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.002303/km2 (0.00596/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Area | 49,500 km2 (19,112.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| President | Mark Halleen | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Murchison Settlement | ||||||||||||
| Region | Mid West | ||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | North West | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Durack | ||||||||||||
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| Website | Shire of Murchison | ||||||||||||
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The Shire of Murchison covers a large area of the Murchison sub-region of the central part of Western Australia, 300 kilometres (186 mi) northeast of Geraldton. The shire and the older 'Murchison' region and goldfield are now part of the designated Mid West region.
It is Australia's second least populated local government area and the only one without a town.
The Shire of Murchison incorporates 29 pastoral stations and a population of 114. Most properties are operated by family units with their main income from cattle, meat sheep and wool, with some goats. A small tourism industry is developing in the region with some stations involved in station stays and with the Murchison Oasis Caravan Park and motel units located at the settlement providing facilities for tourists.
The Shire of Murchison takes its name from the Murchison River, which was named in 1839 by explorer George Grey after Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, President of the Royal Geographical Society of London. The Shire’s logo is based on the coat of arms of his family, Murchison of Tarradale (lion rampant between two pineapples with a scallop shell at the base).
The Murchison Road District was gazetted on 3 August 1875. It absorbed the Upper Murchison Road District on 18 March 1912. On 1 July 1961 it became the Shire of Murchison following changes to the Local Government Act.
A residence for the Shire Clerk was built in 1966 approximately 200 km north of Mullewa on the Carnarvon to Mullewa Road. This building included a shire office. In 1985 a roadhouse and new Shire offices that included a museum were built; this area was gazetted as the Murchison Settlement in 1988.
In 2004 the shire was expanded in area when the northern part of the Shire of Mullewa and an eastern section of the Shire of Northampton were incorporated into Murchison.
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