- Shire of Litchfield
Infobox Australian Place | type = lga
name = Shire of Litchfield
state = nt
imagesize= 150
caption =
pop = 17,461
pop_footnotes = (2006 census)Census 2006 AUS | id = LGA72300 | name = Litchfield (S) (Local Government Area) | accessdate=2008-03-29 | quick = on]
area = 2914.3
est = 1985
seat = Bees Creek
mayor = Mary Walshe
region = Outer Metropolitan Darwin
logosize =
url = http://www.litchfield.nt.gov.au/
stategov =
fedgov = Lingiari
fedgov2 = Solomon
near-nw = Darwin Palmerston
near-n = "Van Diemen Gulf "
near-ne =
near-e =
near-w =Belyuen
near-sw =
near-s =Coomalie
near-se =The Shire of Litchfield is a Local Government Area located in the
Northern Territory ofAustralia on the eastern and southeastern outskirts of the Darwin-Palmerston urban area. The shire covers an area of convert|2914.3|km2|sqmi|1|lk=on, and was created by the Northern Territory government on6 September 1985 .History
The original inhabitants of Litchfield Shire area were the
Larakia ,Woolner andDjowei Aboriginal people. The arrival of European settlers dates from 1864. Litchfield is named after Frederick Henry Litchfield who was a member of an early survey and settlement party and who explored areas of the Northern Territory fromEscape Cliffs on theTimor Sea to theDaly River . Some growth took place during the 1870s and 1880s, after the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line. There was more substantial growth during the post-war years, especially during the 1970s.The Shire was created on
6 September 1985 and its first elections were held on7 December 1985 , with a special meeting being called for13 December . It was initially divided into three wards, but in 1997, it was redivided into four wards—North, East, South and West—each electing one councillor, plus a Shire President elected by the entire Shire.Geography
The Shire of Litchfield is bounded by the
Adelaide River to the east, Van Diemen Gulf and the Coomalie Community Government Council in the south and theCity of Darwin andCity of Palmerston to the northwest. The Stuart and Arnhem Highways run through the Shire Most of the Shire is rural or rural-residential in character.Towns and localities
Towns and localities within the boundary of the Shire include:
Population
hire Presidents
* John Maley (1985–1992)
*Gerry Wood (1992–2001)
* Mary Walshe (2001–2008)References
External links
* [http://www.litchfield.nt.gov.au/ Shire of Litchfield website]
* [http://www.id.com.au/nt/commprofile/default.asp?id=251&gid=5000&pg=1 Shire of Litchfield History]
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