Perth Road Board road works on Guildford Road in Mount Lawley

The Perth Road Board was created in 1871. It was one of 18 original Road Boards established pursuant to the Road District Act, 1871. The main functions of which were to construct and repair roads and bridges and to carry out drainage works within their districts. The first election of members of the Perth Road Board took place at a public meeting of owners and occupiers of rateable property with the district. When gazetted in 1871, the area of the Perth District comprised almost 600 square kilometres, surrounding the City of Perth, and extending north of the Swan River to include Wanneroo, west to the coast, and about 5 kilometres east of Perth. The size of the Perth District was considerable reduced and its boundaries altered over the next 30 years. By 1910, the area of the Perth Road District had been reduced to just over 100 square kilometres, roughly the City of Stirling's current size (although many boundary adjustments have occurred since then). The Perth Road Board became the Shire of Perth on 1 July 1961, then on 24 January 1971, the Shire of Perth was reconstituted as the City of Stirling.