Wheatbelt regional profile
Overview
The Wheatbelt region of the WA Country Health Service partially surrounds the northern and eastern parts of the Perth metropolitan area. It extends north from Perth, and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west, where it meets the Midwest region. The Wheatbelt extends east from the metropolitan area to the mining dominated, Goldfields region. The region is also bordered by the Peel, the South West and Great Southern regions on its south-west and southern borders.
The region covers 155,256 sq km (including islands) of the state and contains the majority of the State's grain growing areas.
The Wheatbelt's economy has historically been based on agriculture, particularly cropping - which remains the most dominant industry in the region - but it is also supported by mining, commerce, manufacturing, fishing and tourism.
More information about the Wheatbelt region is available on the Wheatbelt Development Commission website.
Towns and local government
The Wheatbelt is made up of 43 Local Government Authorities. The major population centres in the Wheatbelt region are the towns of Northam, Narrogin, Merredin, Moora, Bindoon, Jurien Bay, York and Toodyay.
|
Major centres |
Population by LGA (2023 ERP) |
Distance from Perth |
|
Northam |
12,193 |
97 km |
|
Narrogin |
4,938 |
192 km |
|
Merredin |
3,268 |
260 km |
|
Moora |
2,392 |
174 km |
|
Bindoon (Chittering) |
6,516 |
94 km |
|
Toodyay |
4,954 |
86 km |
|
Jurien Bay (Dandaragan) |
3,748 |
224 km |
|
York |
3,602 |
96 km |
The population figures relate to Estimated Resident Population (ERP) in 2023 for the Local Government Areas (LGA). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics ERP 2023.
Building projects
Completed building projects
- Pingelly and Cunderdin Health Centres
- Merredin Health Service
- Narrogin Hospital
- Wheatbelt - small hospitals
Health profiles
Please download the Wheatbelt's Health Profile from the site Publications page.