Local government areas of South Australia facts for kids

Local government in the Australian state of South Australia describes the organisations and processes by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by section 64A of Constitution Act 1934 (SA).

LGAs sorted by region

The organisations, often called local government areas (LGAs) are constituted and managed in accordance with the Local Government Act 1999 (South Australia). They are grouped below by region, as defined by the Local Government Association of South Australia.

Metropolitan Adelaide

Local government area	Council seat	Region	Year est.	Land area			Pop'n (2015)	Notes	Map
				km²	sq mi	Density
Adelaide, City ofCity of Adelaide	Adelaide	Metropolitan Adelaide	1840	16	6	1,448	23,169	Capital city of South Australia 1840 Established as Adelaide Corporation 1843 Managed by the Colonial government, and then a commission 1852 Re-established 1919 Office of Mayor raised to Lord Mayor
Adelaide Hills Council, Adelaide Hills Council	Woodside	Metropolitan Adelaide	1997	795	307	50	40,031	Amalgamation of District Councils of East Torrens, Gumeracha, Onkaparinga and Stirling
Burnside, City ofCity of Burnside	Tusmore	Metropolitan Adelaide	1856	27	10	1,668	45,034	1856 Gazetted as District Council of Burnside 1935 Became the Municipality of Burnside 1943 Proclaimed the City of Burnside
Campbelltown, City ofCity of Campbelltown	Rostrevor	Metropolitan Adelaide	1867	24	9	2,162	51,889	1867 Established as the District Council of Campbelltown 1946 Became the Town of Campbelltown 1960 Proclaimed the City of Campbelltown
Charles Sturt, City ofCity of Charles Sturt	Woodville	Metropolitan Adelaide	1997	52	20	2,196	114,209	Amalgamation of City of Hindmarsh Woodville and the City of Henley and Grange
Gawler, Town ofTown of Gawler	Gawler	Metropolitan Adelaide	1857	41	16	552	22,618	The Corporation of the Town of Gawler was established on 9 July 1857 as the residents were not happy that the town area was covered by three different district councils.
Holdfast Bay, City ofCity of Holdfast Bay	Brighton	Metropolitan Adelaide	1997	13	5	2,866	37,263	Amalgamation of Glenelg and Brighton councils
Marion, City ofCity of Marion	Sturt	Metropolitan Adelaide	1886	56	22	1,589	88,983	District Council of Marion formed by 1886 renaming of District Council of Brighton (established 1853) Gazetted as the municipality, City of Marion, in 1944
Mitcham, City ofCity of Mitcham	Torrens Park	Metropolitan Adelaide	1853	76	29	873	66,347	First LGA formally founded after the City of Adelaide
Norwood Payneham & St Peters, City ofCity of Norwood Payneham & St Peters	Norwood	Metropolitan Adelaide	1997	15	6	2,490	37,350	Amalgamation of the City of Kensington and Norwood, the City of Payneham and the Town of St Peters.
Onkaparinga, City ofCity of Onkaparinga	Noarlunga Centre	Metropolitan Adelaide	1997	518	200	326	168,798	Amalgamation of Cities of Happy Valley and Noarlunga with part of the District Council of Willunga.
Playford, City ofCity of Playford	Elizabeth	Metropolitan Adelaide	1997	345	133	256	88,222	Amalgamation of City of Elizabeth and City of Munno Para
Port Adelaide Enfield, City ofCity of Port Adelaide Enfield	Port Adelaide	Metropolitan Adelaide	1997	97	37	1,276	123,754	Amalgamation of Cities of Port Adelaide and Enfield
Prospect, City ofCity of Prospect	Prospect	Metropolitan Adelaide	1872	8	3	2,677	21,416	Separated from District Council of Yatala South
Salisbury, City ofCity of Salisbury	Salisbury	Metropolitan Adelaide	1933	158	61	877	138,535	Amalgamation of former district council of Yatala North and large part of former district council of Munno Para West
Tea Tree Gully, City ofCity of Tea Tree Gully	Modbury	Metropolitan Adelaide	1935	95	37	1,041	98,861	Originally part of Highercombe District Council. Became a separate district council in 1858. Reunited with Highercombe in 1935 under current name.
Unley, City ofCity of Unley	Unley	Metropolitan Adelaide	1906	14	5	2,809	39,324
Walkerville, Town ofTown of Walkerville	Gilberton	Metropolitan Adelaide	1855	4	2	1,918	7,673	Separated from District Council of Yatala
West Torrens, City ofCity of West Torrens	Hilton	Metropolitan Adelaide	1856	37	14	1,594	58,964	Amalgamation of Thebarton and West Torrens 1997

Regional South Australia

Eyre Peninsula

Local government area	Council seat	Region	Year est.	Land area		Pop'n (2015)	Notes	Map
				km²	sq mi
Ceduna, District Council ofDistrict Council of Ceduna	Ceduna	Eyre Peninsula	1896	5,427	2,095	3,716
Cleve, District Council ofDistrict Council of Cleve	Cleve	Eyre Peninsula	1911	4,507	1,740	1,795	Separated from Franklin Harbour
Elliston, District Council ofDistrict Council of Elliston	Elliston	Eyre Peninsula	1887	6,500	2,510	1,066	Boundary changes in 1989
Franklin Harbour, District Council ofDistrict Council of Franklin Harbour	Cowell	Eyre Peninsula	1888	3,583	1,383	1,234
Kimba, District Council ofDistrict Council of Kimba	Kimba	Eyre Peninsula	1924	3,986	1,539	1,097
Lower Eyre Peninsula, District Council ofDistrict Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula	Cummins	Eyre Peninsula	1921	4,771	1,842	5,087	Part of District Council of Port Lincoln (proclaimed 1880). District Council of Tumby Bay separated in 1906. Corporation of Port Lincoln separated in 1921. Remainder named District Council of Lincoln. Renamed Lower Eyre Peninsula in 1988.
Port Augusta, City ofCity of Port Augusta	Port Augusta	Eyre Peninsula	1964	1,153	445	14,522
Port Lincoln, City ofCity of Port Lincoln	Port Lincoln	Eyre Peninsula	1921	30	12	14,984	Separated from District Council of Port Lincoln in 1921. Proclaimed a city in 1971.
Streaky Bay, District Council ofDistrict Council of Streaky Bay	Streaky Bay	Eyre Peninsula	1887	6,232	2,406	2,249
Tumby Bay, District Council ofDistrict Council of Tumby Bay	Tumby Bay	Eyre Peninsula	1906	2,616	1,010	2,668	Separated from District Council of Port Lincoln
Wudinna District Council, Wudinna District Council	Wudinna	Eyre Peninsula	1925	5,394	2,083	1,282	Established as the District Council of Minnipa. Later renamed as District Council of Le Hunte. Given present name in 2008.
Whyalla, City ofCity of Whyalla	Whyalla	Eyre Peninsula	1970	1,033	399	22,759

Central region

Local government area	Council seat	Region	Year est.	Land area		Pop'n (2006 census)	Notes	Map
				km²	sq mi
Adelaide Plains Council, Adelaide Plains Council	Mallala	Central		932	360	8,385
Barossa Council, Barossa Council	Angaston	Central	1996	912	352	22,514	Amalgamation of District Councils of Angaston, Barossa, Tanunda and (since 1997) part of Mount Pleasant.
Barunga West, District Council ofDistrict Council of Barunga West	Port Broughton	Central				2,631
Clare and Gilbert Valleys, District Council ofDistrict Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys	Clare	Central	1997			8,743	Amalgamation of District Council of Clare, the District Council of Riverton and the District Council of Saddleworth and Auburn.
Copper Coast, District Council of theDistrict Council of the Copper Coast	Kadina	Central	1997	773	298	12,901	Amalgamation of District Council of Northern Yorke Peninsula and Corporation of the Town of Wallaroo.
Flinders Ranges Council, Flinders Ranges Council	Quorn	Central		4,198	1,621	1,784
Goyder, Regional Council ofRegional Council of Goyder	Burra	Central	1997	6,719	2,594	4,285	Amalgamation of District Councils of Burra Burra (formerly the Corporation of the Town of Burra and the Burra District Council), Eudunda, Hallet and Robertstown.
Light Regional Council, Light Regional Council	Kapunda	Central		1,278	493	13,658
Mount Remarkable, District Council ofDistrict Council of Mount Remarkable	Melrose	Central	1980	3,425	1,322	2,951	Amalgamation of Port Germein District Council and Wilmington District Council.
Northern Areas Council, Northern Areas Council		Central	1997			4,866	Amalgamation of District Councils of Rocky River, Spalding, and Jamestown.
Orroroo Carrieton, District Council ofDistrict Council of Orroroo Carrieton		Central				938
Peterborough, District Council ofDistrict Council of Peterborough	Peterborough	Central
Port Pirie Regional Council, Port Pirie Regional Council	Port Pirie	Central	1997	1,761	680	18,076
Wakefield Regional Council, Wakefield Regional Council	Balaklava	Central	1997	3,469	1,339	6,756	Amalgamation of District Councils of Blyth-Snowtown and Wakefield Plains.
Yorke Peninsula Council, Yorke Peninsula Council	Maitland	Central	1997	5,834	2,253	11,736	Renamed from District Council of Yorke Peninsula in 2013.

Southern and Hills region

Local government area	Council seat	Region	Year est.	Land area		Pop'n (2006 census)	Notes	Map
				km²	sq mi
Alexandrina Council, Alexandrina Council	Goolwa	Southern and Hills	1997	1,827	705	23,160	Amalgamation of the District Council of Strathalbyn, the District Council of Port Elliot and Goolwa, and a portion of the District Council of Willunga.
Kangaroo Island Council, Kangaroo Island Council	Kingscote	Southern and Hills	1996	4,400	1,699	4,612	Amalgamation of the District Council of Kingscote and the District Council of Dudley.
Mount Barker, District Council ofDistrict Council of Mount Barker	Mount Barker	Southern and Hills				29,864
Victor Harbor, City ofCity of Victor Harbor	Victor Harbor	Southern and Hills	1975	387	149	13,608	Amalgamation of District Council of Encounter Bay and the Corporation of Victor Harbor in 1975. Formerly a district council, became a city in 2000.
Yankalilla, District Council ofDistrict Council of Yankalilla	Yankalilla	Southern and Hills	1854	751	290	4,577

Murray Mallee region

Local government area	Council seat	Region	Year est.	Land area		Pop'n (2006 census)	Notes	Map
				km²	sq mi
Berri Barmera Council, Berri Barmera Council		Murray Mallee	1996	508	196	11,240	Amalgamation of district councils of Barmera and Berri.
Coorong District Council, TheThe Coorong District Council	Meningie	Murray Mallee	1995	8,831	3,410	5,825	Amalgamation of District Council of Coonalpyn Downs, Peake District Council and Meningie District Council.
Gerard Community Council, Gerard Community Council	Winkie	Murray Mallee	1974	86	33	96
Karoonda East Murray, District Council ofDistrict Council of Karoonda East Murray	Karoonda	Murray Mallee	1979	4,415	1,705	1,193	Amalgamation of District Council of Karoonda and District Council of East Murray.
Loxton Waikerie, District Council ofDistrict Council of Loxton Waikerie		Murray Mallee	1997	7,957	3,072	4,612	Amalgamation of district councils of Loxton, Waikerie and Browns Well.
Mid Murray Council, Mid Murray Council		Murray Mallee	1997	7,957	3,072	8,511	Amalgamation of district councils of Mannum, Morgan, Ridley-Truro and part of the District Council of Mount Pleasant.
Murray Bridge, Rural City ofRural City of Murray Bridge	Murray Bridge	Murray Mallee	1977	7,957	3,072	19,402
Renmark Paringa Council, Renmark Paringa Council	Renmark	Murray Mallee	1996	916	354	9,882	Amalgamation of Town of Renmark and the District Council of Paringa.
Southern Mallee District Council, Southern Mallee District Council	Pinnaroo	Murray Mallee		6,000	2,317	2,189

Southeast region

Local government area	Council seat	Region	Year est.	Land area		Pop'n (2006 census)	Notes	Map
				km²	sq mi
Grant, District Council ofDistrict Council of Grant	Mount Gambier	Southeast	1996	1,904	735	8,652	Amalgamation of District Councils of Mount Gambier and Port MacDonnell.
Kingston District Council, Kingston District Council	Kingston SE	Southeast	1873	3,338	1,289	2,469	Renamed from Lacepede District Council in 2000.
Mount Gambier, City ofCity of Mount Gambier	Mount Gambier	Southeast		308	119	21,256
Naracoorte Lucindale Council, Naracoorte Lucindale Council	Naracoorte	Southeast	1993	4,517	1,744	8,489	Amalgamation of District Council of Naracoorte, District Council of Lucindale and the Corporate Township of Naracoorte.
Robe, District Council ofDistrict Council of Robe	Robe	Southeast	1869	1,091	421	1,480
Tatiara District Council, Tatiara District Council	Bordertown	Southeast	1876	6,476	2,500	6,660
Wattle Range Council, Wattle Range Council	Millicent	Southeast	1997	3,924	1,515	12,554	Amalgamation of district councils of Beachport, Millicent and Penola.

Outback

Local government area	Council seat	Region	Year est.	Land area		Pop'n (2006 census)	Notes	Map
				km²	sq mi
Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara	Umuwa	Outback	1981	102,650	39,633	2,230
Coober Pedy, District Council ofDistrict Council of Coober Pedy	Coober Pedy	Outback	1987	78	30	1,913
Maralinga Tjarutja, Maralinga Tjarutja	Ceduna	Outback	2006	102,863	39,716	105
Nepabunna Community Council, Nepabunna Community Council	Nepabunna	Outback	1998	76	29	53
Outback Communities Authority, Outback Communities Authority	Port Augusta	Outback	1978	624,339	241,059	3,959	Covers almost 60 percent of the state's area, mostly in the arid regions of the centre and north.
Roxby Downs, Municipal Council ofMunicipal Council of Roxby Downs	Roxby Downs	Outback	1982	110	42	4,484
Yalata Community, Yalata Community		Outback	1994	4,563	1,762	100

Maps

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  Partial map of LGAs

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  LGA regions

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  Types of LGAs