LGA's
The Pilbara region covers 507,896 square kilometers and incorporates geographical boundaries of four local municipalities - the Town of Port Hedland and the Shires of Roebourne, East Pilbara and Ashburton.
The Shire of Ashburton, at nearly half the size of Victoria (105,647km²), boasts some of the world’s largest open cut mines, pastoral leases and cattle stations and a thriving fishing industry all set against a beautiful and ancient arid tropical landscape. Residents of the Shire are employed in a variety of industries, including oil, gas, mining, cattle, fishing and tourism. The Shire also has an established salt industry, based at Onslow Salt. The supporting infrastructure also provides employment and career opportunities.
The majority of the area of the Shire of Ashburton is divided into pastoral properties. Spread amongst these sprawling pastoral stations are the towns of Onslow, Pannawonica, Paraburdoo and Tom Price. The majority of the Shire’s population live in these four towns. A number of Aboriginal Communities reside in the Shire. The Shire’s population iss estimated to be 6,015. Tom Price, located in the eastern sector, is the largest town and the Shire Administration Centre. Paraburdoo is 80km south of Tom Price with Pannawonica 330km northwest and Onslow 380km west of Tom Price in lineal distance. The distances between the towns by road are far in excess of these figures.
The Shire of Ashburton can be contacted on (08) 9188 4444 or www.ashburton.wa.gov.au.
The Shire of East Pilbara was formed by an amalgamation of the Shires of Marble Bar and Nullagine in 1972. Upon the amalgamation, the Shire became the largest Shire in the world comprising an area of over 379,571 km² (larger than the State of Victoria). The total population of the Shire is estimated to be 5,612. The major industries in the Shire are mining, pastoral and tourism.
The main townsites are Newman, Marble Bar and Nullagine. The Shire’s Administration Centre is located in Newman. The Shire area also contains numerous Aboriginal communities including Jigalong, Punmu and Parngurr. Aboriginal communities are also located in Nullagine (Irrungadi community) and Marble Bar (Pipunya and Goodabinya communities).
The Shire of East Pilbara can be contacted on (08) 9175 1924 or www.eastpilbara.wa.gov.au
The Town of Port Hedland is the smallest of the four Pilbara LGA's in area being only 11,844km². The 2 main residential centres are Port Hedland and South Hedland. The population of the Town is estimated to be 12,335 people. The remainder live on pastoral stations located throughout the area.
Both Port and South Hedland boast a range of community services, including cultural, recreation and shopping facilities. The main industries are iron ore processing and export, salt production from extensive evaporation ponds for export, shipping of manganese and other minerals and livestock production (mainly cattle). The Port is one of the world's largest in tonnage terms, with over 70 million tonnes of product worth more than $3 billion shipped each year.
The Town of Port Hedland can be contacted on (08) 9158 9300 or www.porthedland.wa.gov.au
The Shire of Roebourne controls an area of approximately 15,197km², has its offices in the township of Karratha, a modern town that is recognised as one of the major centres of the Pilbara. The Shire contains another 5 townsites. These are the industry based Dampier and Wickham, the historic towns of Roebourne and Cossack, and the coastal retreat of Point Samson. All of these townsites are located within a 50km² radius.
The Shire’s population is estimated to be 15.350 people or 39.0%. The population of the Shire of Roebourne is growing steadily due to the increasing employment opportunities in the Shire primarily due to resource projects. There is a wide range of education, social, shopping and recreation services available. The major industries in the Shire include iron ore export, oil, natural gas, salt, nickel, fishing and tourism.
Lying offshore of the Shire is the famous Dampier Archipelago. The Dampier Archipelago comprises 42 islands, islets and rocks lying within a 45km radius from the town of Dampier and Point Samson. Many of the islands resemble the rugged Burrup Peninsula, with coastal cliffs and steep-sided rock piles separated by valleys, sand plains and pristine beaches.
The Shire of Roebourne can be contacted on (08) 9186 8555 or www.roebourne.wa.gov.au.
Further information and contact details of Pilbara Employment Agencies, Education, Resource Companies, Real Estate Agents and Government Agencies are available here.