City of Geraldton

The City of Geraldton was a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, 424 kilometres (263 mi) north of the state capital, Perth on the Indian Ocean. The City covered an area of 46.3 square kilometres (17.9 sq mi), and its seat of government was the town of Geraldton.

The council amalgamated with the Shire of Greenough, which contained Geraldton's industrial and outer suburban areas, in 2007 to form the City of Geraldton-Greenough. The area is now, as of 1 July 2011, part of the City of Greater Geraldton.

History

Geraldton was gazetted as a municipal district in 1871. On 1 July 1961, it became a town following the enactment of the Local Government Act 1960. On 22 April 1988, Geraldton attained city status.

Amalgamation

A recommendation was made to the Minister for Local Government by the Local Government Advisory Board in August 2006 to amalgamate the City of Geraldton with the neighbouring Shire of Greenough.

The Greenough electors successfully petitioned for a referendum to determine whether amalgamation should proceed. This was held on 2 December 2006, and with a participation rate of 28.74%, a majority of 80% voted against the proposal. However, under the Local Government Act 1995 (clause 10 of Schedule 2.1) as the vote did not attract 50% of registered voters, it did not meet the requirements for a valid poll.

Geraldton

Geraldton is a coastal city in the Mid West region of Western Australia, located 424 kilometres (263 mi) north of Perth.

At the 2011 census, Geraldton had a population of 35,749. Geraldton is the seat of government for the local government area (LGA), the City of Greater Geraldton, which also incorporates the town of Mullewa and large rural areas previously forming the shires of Greenough and Mullewa.

The city is home to the Port of Geraldton, a major west coast seaport. Geraldton is an important service and logistics centre for regional mining, fishing, wheat, sheep and tourism industries. The Australian Army 2nd Division, 13th Brigade Reserve Response Force maintains a presence and depot in central Geraldton. Geraldton has a Sister City relationship with Zhejiang, China.

History

Aboriginal

Clear evidence has established indigenous people living on the West Coast of Australia for at least 40,000 years, though at present it is unclear when the first indigenous people may have originally explored and lived in and around Geraldton.

Geraldton (disambiguation)

Geraldton may refer to: