The Shire of Shark Bay is a local government area of Western Australia in the Gascoyne region. It has an area of 25,423 km 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:

Suburb	Population	Area	Map
Carbla	0 (SAL 2016)	952.6 km (367.8 sq mi)
Carrarang		807.4 km (311.7 sq mi)
Coburn	0 (SAL 2016)	1,004.7 km (387.9 sq mi)
Denham	849 (SAL 2021)	53.2 km (20.5 sq mi)
Dirk Hartog Island	9 (SAL 2021)	630.4 km (243.4 sq mi)
Gilroyd	0 (SAL 2016)	809.8 km (312.7 sq mi)
Hamelin Pool	23 (SAL 2021)	2,054.7 km (793.3 sq mi)
Meadow	3 (SAL 2021)	833.9 km (322.0 sq mi)
Nanga	4 (SAL 2021)	1,786.8 km (689.9 sq mi)
Nerren Nerren	6 (SAL 2021)	2,336.9 km (902.3 sq mi)
Shark Bay	0 (SAL 2016)	8,202.4 km (3,167.0 sq mi)
Talisker	0 (SAL 2021)	2,875.3 km (1,110.2 sq mi)
Tamala	5 (SAL 2021)	1,386.4 km (535.3 sq mi)
Toolonga	0 (SAL 2016)	4,142.5 km (1,599.4 sq mi)
Woodleigh	0 (SAL 2021)	2,327.9 km (898.8 sq mi)
Yalardy	0 (SAL 2016)	1,011.9 km (390.7 sq mi)

Economy

Major employers include the salt works at Useless Loop along with the fishing industry and the various retail outlets meeting the needs of the tourist industry. There are some 30 personnel employed by the Department of Environment and Conservation and twenty by the Shire. There is a primary school and a Distance Education structured secondary school. Numbers of school aged children fluctuate around the 100 mark. The police station is staffed by 3 officers.

Local industries include tourism, fishing, salt, pearl marine culturing, mining of shell grit and various pastoral activities.

Tourism

The creation of the Shark Bay World Heritage Site has created significant impact on the community within the shire area.

Community

The Shire council produced a community newsletter title the Inscription Post from 1989 until January 2011 when it was produced by the Shark Bay Community Resource Centre.

Climate

The Shire of Shark Bay has a mild arid tropical climate, with mean daily maximum temperatures ranging from 22 °C (72 °F) in July to 32 °C (90 °F) in February. On 18 February 2024, Shark Bay recorded a temperature of 49.8 °C (121.6 °F). Rainfall is low and variable, with most rain falling in the winter months and a certain amount due to cyclone activity. The average annual rainfall is 228 mm.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1911 226 —     1921 231 +0.22% 1933 257 +0.89% 1947 183 −2.40% 1954 233 +3.51% 1961 387 +7.52% 1966 387 +0.00% 1971 687 +12.16% 1976 696 +0.26%

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1981 629 −2.00% 1986 1,081 +11.44% 1991 1,570 +7.75% 1996 1,840 +3.22% 2001 2,025 +1.93% 2006 1,841 −1.89% 2011 857 −14.18% 2016 946 +2.00% 2021 1,031 +1.74%

Heritage-listed places

As of 2024, 53 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Shark Bay, of which three are on the State Register of Heritage Places, all on Dirk Hartog Island.