The original inhabitants of the Mundaring area were the Nyungar Aboriginal people. The name ‘Mundaring’ is thought to come from an Aboriginal word meaning “a high place on a high place” or “the place of the grass tree leaves”.

European settlement dates from the 1840s with the land initially being used mainly for timber-cutting, quarrying, vineyards, orcharding and poultry farming. Population was minimal until the 1880s, with villages established mainly along the railway line and the Great Eastern Highway. Growth took place during the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, aided by the construction of the Mundaring Weir, improved access and tourism, the most significant development occurring in the post-war years, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. The population grew from approximately 9,000 in 1966 to 26,000 in 1986. Growth began to slow from the early 1990s, with the population increasing from 29,000 in 1991 to 34,000 in 2006. Whilst the bulk of the population live in the townships, for many people the natural hills environment provides opportunities for larger rural blocks affording greater privacy and peace. To access information on the current demographics, please click here.

The Shire of Mundaring has begun its community consultation process to gain feedback on the local government structural reform.

By way of background, the Minister for Local Government John Castrilli made a request earlier this year for all local governments in WA to make an informed decision on voluntary amalgamation, their preferred regional groupings and the number of elected members required.

Local governments have been working through a number of stages in order to present their final submission to the Minister before the August 31 deadline.

The Shire completed a checklist in the first stage of the reform process, which I believe showed it is a sustainable local government. However, there were opportunities identified for potential boundary changes and a possible reduction in councillor numbers.

Overall, this process has provided an opportunity to review the Shire’s operations to ensure it is operating at its best to meet the needs of the community.

Part of the process now is to seek input from community members to gauge their views on local government structural reform.

Community members can have their say by completing a survey or by attending a feedback forum.

Council will consider the feedback as part of its development of the Shire's reform submission.

The survey is available online or via hardcopy at the Shire’s Administration Centre and Public Libraries.

Two community forums will be held on Monday 13 July 2009 (10am-12noon OR 7pm-9pm). RSVPs are required by Wednesday 8 July on 9290 6604.

I encourage the community to take part in this consultation process and have their say on this issue.

To go to a copy of the survey click here.

To read more about the local government structural reform click here.

Kind Regards, Helen Dullard Shire President