Shire of Shark Bay
The Shire of Shark Bay is a local government area of Western Australia in the Gascoyne region. It has an area of 25,423 km2 and a population of about 950. It is made up of two peninsulas and Shark Bay, located at the westernmost point of Australia. There is one town in the Shire of Shark Bay, Denham, which is the administrative centre for the Shire. There are also a number of small communities; they are Useless Loop (a now-closed mining site), Monkey Mia (a popular resort where dolphins come in), Nanga and Hamelin Pool. The Overlander and The Billabong are roadhouses. History The Shark Bay Road District was gazetted on 13 May 1904. In 1951 the then current officials were dismissed. On 1 July 1961, it became a shire under the Local Government Act 1960, which reformed all remaining road districts into shires. Wards The Shire is divided into three wards: Denham Ward (five councillors) Pastoral Ward (one councillor) Useless Loop Ward (one councillor) Towns and localities The towns and localities of the Shire of Shark Bay with population and size figures based on the most recent Australian census: Economy Major employers include the salt works at Useless Loop