Shire of Moora
# Shire of Moora

The Shire of Moora is a local government area in the northern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, and generally lies between the Brand Highway and Great Northern Highway about 180 kilometres (112 mi) north of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of 3,767 square kilometres (1,454 sq mi) and its seat of government is the town of Moora.

## History

The Moora Road District was gazetted on 11 December 1908, created from part of the Victoria Plains Road District. The first election for the Moora Road Board was on 12 February 1909. Henry Lefroy was elected Chairman at the first meeting of the Road Board on 19 March 1909. Lefroy had previously been elected Chairman of the Victoria Plains Road Board in 1876.

On 1 July 1961, Moora became a Shire under the Local Government Act 1960, which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.

## Wards

The shire is undivided and the nine councillors represent the entire shire.

Until 20 October 2007, the shire was divided into wards, most with 1 councillor each:

* Moora Town Ward (4 councillors)
* Bindi Bindi
* Coomberdale
* Koojan
* Miling
* Watheroo

## Towns and localities

The towns and localities of the Shire of Moora with population and size figures based on the most recent Australian census:

| Locality | Population | Area |
| - | - | - |
| Barberton | 16 (SAL 2021) | 111.7 $km^2$ (43.1 sq mi) |
| Berkshire Valley | 38 (SAL 2021) | 238 $km^2$ (92 sq mi) |
| Bindi Bindi | 59 (SAL 2021) | 408 $km^2$ (158 sq mi) |
| Coomberdale | 56 (SAL 2021) | 275.5 $km^2$ (106.4 sq mi) |
| Gabalong | 8 (SAL 2021) | 76.1 $km^2$ (29.4 sq mi) |
| Koojan | 40 (SAL 2021) | 246.1 $km^2$ (95.0 sq mi) |
| Miling | 101 (SAL 2021) | 696.5 $km^2$ (268.9 sq mi) |
| Moora | 1,755 (SAL 2021) | 361 $km^2$ (139 sq mi) |
| Namban | 35 (SAL 2021) | 280.6 $km^2$ (108.3 sq mi) |
| Walebing | 39 (SAL 2021) | 285.3 $km^2$ (110.2 sq mi) |
| Watheroo | 137 (SAL 2021) | 783.4 $km^2$ (302.5 sq mi) |

## Population

| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| - | - | - |
| 1911 | 1,921 | — |
| 1921 | 1,642 | −1.56% |
| 1933 | 2,088 | +2.02% |
| 1947 | 2,006 | −0.29% |
| 1954 | 2,896 | +5.39% |
| 1961 | 3,082 | +0.89% |
| 1966 | 2,981 | −0.66% |
| 1971 | 3,120 | +0.92% |
| 1976 | 3,040 | −0.52% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1981 | 3,102 | +0.40% |
| 1986 | 2,828 | −1.83% |
| 1991 | 2,654 | −1.26% |
| 1996 | 2,541 | −0.87% |
| 2001 | 2,557 | +0.13% |
| 2006 | 2,410 | −1.18% |
| 2011 | 2,476 | +0.54% |
| 2016 | 2,428 | −0.39% |
| 2021 | 2,292 | −1.15% |

## Notable councillors

* Edgar Lewis, Moora Roads Board member 1936–1939; later a state MP
* Ray Jones, Moora Roads Board member 1948–1952; later a state MP

## In popular culture

In January 2017, a video emblazoned with the seal of Shire of Moora was uploaded to YouTube. The video, showing a road being built, went viral, bringing unexpected attention to the area.

## Heritage-listed places

As of 2023, 229 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Moora, of which five are on the State Register of Heritage Places.

