Australia So Much to See

The Shire of East Pilbara was formed by an amalgamation of the Shires of Marble Bar and Nullagine in 1972. This created the largest Shire in the world, comprising an area of over 372,571 square kilometres (larger than the State of Victoria), and covering almost 15% of Western Australia.

The Shire covers includes the town sites of Marble Bar, Nullagine, Newman and a number of Aboriginal Communities with the largest being Jigalong, Punmu and Parngurr. It covers many of the richest mining tenements in the state, and includes much of the remote Little Sandy, Gibson and Great Sandy deserts. This group of inter-related deserts comprises 7% of Australia's landmass.

Most towns and cattle stations are located in the western section of the Shire, with one boundary being the high water mark of the Indian Ocean around Cape Keraudren, and the eastern border being the boundary of the Northern Territory.

The Shire has the fastest rate of growth in Australia. According to the 2011 Census the population of 17,148 is up from 10,716 in 2006. There are a high proportion of "fly in fly out" workers in the Shire, estimated at 5,072.

The Shire, now with its administration centre at Newman, covers much of the state’s rich iron ore mines. Other industries are pastoral stations and tourism.

Did you know that the majority of the Pilbara region is within the Shire of East Pilbara? Only four municipal areas comprise the Pilbara region. In addition to this vast Shire of East Pilbara, there are the much smaller councils of the Shire of Ashburton, City of Karratha (formerly Shire of Roebourne), and the Town of Port Hedland.

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