Shire of Murray Facts for Kids

This page is about the Western Australian shire. For the former shire in New South Wales, see Murray Shire.

Quick facts for kids

Shire of Murray
Western Australia

Location in Western Australia

Established

1868

Area

1,710.1 km² (660.3 sq mi)

Shire President

David Bolt

Council seat

Pinjarra

Region

Peel region
Greater Mandurah

State electorate(s)

Murray-Wellington

Federal Division(s)

Canning

Website

Shire of Murray

LGAs around Shire of Murray:
Rockingham	Serpentine-Jarrahdale	Wandering
Mandurah	Shire of Murray	Boddington
Waroona	Waroona	Boddington

The Shire of Murray is a local government area in Western Australia. It's like a local council that manages a specific region. This area covers about 1,710 square kilometers. It is located in the Peel Region, about 80 kilometers south of Perth.

The Shire stretches from the Peel Inlet and the flat Swan Coastal Plain up to the Darling Scarp hills. It includes about 77,000 hectares of State forests. In the past, people mostly worked in timber logging and farming. Today, mining for bauxite (a rock used to make aluminum) is important. The area also has a big horse industry and lots of tourism.

The Murray River flows through the Shire all year round. The main town in the Shire is Pinjarra. It is one of the oldest towns in Western Australia. You can still see many old mud brick buildings from the 1800s there. The Shire offers horse racing, a golf course, and many fun festivals.

History of the Shire of Murray
Towns and Localities in the Shire
How the Population Has Grown
Places with Special Heritage

History of the Shire of Murray

The first European settlement in this area began in 1834. Sir Thomas Peel was one of the first settlers. On November 7, 1868, the Murray District Roads Committee held its very first meeting in Pinjarra. This committee was in charge of local roads.

The Shire of Murray officially started as the Murray Road District on January 25, 1871. Later, on July 1, 1961, it changed its name to the Shire of Murray. This happened because of a new law called the Local Government Act 1960. This law changed all road districts into shires.

Towns and Localities in the Shire

The Shire of Murray is made up of several towns and smaller areas called localities. Here is a list of them with their populations based on the most recent Australian census:

Suburb	Population	Area
Banksiadale	0 (SAL 2016)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Barragup	940 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Birchmont	86 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Blythewood	85 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Coolup	420 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Dwellingup	524 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Etmilyn	0 (SAL 2016)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Fairbridge	55 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Furnissdale	1,061 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Holyoake	22 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Inglehope	18 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Keralup *	0 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Marrinup	4 (SAL 2016)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Meelon	174 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Myara	0 (SAL 2016)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Nambeelup	361 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Nirimba	80 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
North Dandalup	863 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
North Yunderup	840 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Oakley		^{[convert: needs a number]}
Pinjarra	4,914 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Point Grey		^{[convert: needs a number]}
Ravenswood	2,483 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Solus	0 (SAL 2016)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
South Yunderup	3,860 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Stake Hill	469 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Teesdale	89 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
West Coolup	182 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
West Pinjarra	448 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}
Whittaker	9 (SAL 2021)	^{[convert: needs a number]}

* This means the locality is only partly inside the Shire of Murray.

For the 2021 Australian census, Oakley was counted as part of Fairbridge.
For the 2021 Australian census, Point Grey was counted as part of Nirimba.

How the Population Has Grown

The number of people living in the Shire of Murray has changed over time. Here's a look at the population from 1911 to 2021:

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1911	2,199	—
1921	3,400	+4.45%
1933	4,060	+1.49%
1947	4,118	+0.10%
1954	3,897	−0.78%
1961	3,592	−1.16%
1966	3,329	−1.51%
1971	4,061	+4.06%
1976	5,035	+4.39%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1981	6,306	+4.60%
1986	6,634	+1.02%
1991	8,157	+4.22%
1996	9,144	+2.31%
2001	10,035	+1.88%
2006	11,969	+3.59%
2011	14,149	+3.40%
2016	16,698	+3.37%
2021	18,068	+1.59%

In 1954, the town of Mandurah, which used to be part of Murray, became its own area. At that time, Mandurah had 1,687 people.

Places with Special Heritage

The Shire of Murray has many places that are important for their history. As of 2023, there are 134 such places. Out of these, 13 are so important that they are listed on the State Register of Heritage Places. This means they are officially protected because of their historical value.

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Shire of Murray Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.

Shire of Murray facts for kids

Contents

History of the Shire of Murray

Towns and Localities in the Shire

How the Population Has Grown

Places with Special Heritage