City of Stirling Administration building

The City of Stirling, as we now know it, was first established on 24 January 1871 as the Perth Road District under the District Roads Act 1871. The district at that time included what are now the Cities of Wanneroo, Joondalup, Bayswater and Belmont.

The Local Government Act 1960 reformed all roads districts into shires. The Shire of Perth came into effect on 1 July 1961 and had a population of 84,000. 

It was declared a city and renamed Stirling after James Stirling the first governor of Western Australia on 24 January 1971.