District Council of Coober Pedy

What District Council of Coober Pedy does

The District Council of Coober Pedy is a statutory local government authority in South Australia, established under the Local Government Act 1999 and operating since 1987 to deliver municipal services to the remote outback town of Coober Pedy and its approximately 1,700 residents. Its service portfolio spans water supply and reticulation via a town-owned desalination and reverse osmosis plant, electricity generation through a stand-alone hybrid diesel/wind/solar system, waste and animal management, childcare (Mini Gems Children's Centre), library services, swimming pool operations, and governance administration. The Council additionally manages the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park as a tourism and environmental asset.

The underlying technology footprint is dominated by self-sufficient utility infrastructure rather than software platforms: a novel hybrid power architecture combining diesel, wind, and solar generation, paired with membrane-based water treatment, both required because the town sits off the South Australian main grid. Customer-facing channels are conventional public-sector channels — an official website, Facebook page, quarterly CEO Update email newsletter, and on-site offices (administration building, depot, childcare centre, library) — supported by published Fees and Charges, annual business plans, and a 10-year Infrastructure and Asset Management Plan.

The Council's business model is that of an Australian local government entity rather than a commercial enterprise: revenue is generated through property rates, user charges for utility and community services, and grants from state and federal programs, with governance currently provided by appointed administrators (Principal Administrator Patrick Conlon and supporting administrators Erika Vickery and John Moyle) rather than elected councillors, under CEO Garry Herdegen. Customer segments are limited to local residents and ratepayers as the primary segment and visitors/tourists as a secondary segment.

Name

District Council of Coober Pedy

Legal name

District Council of Coober Pedy

Website

https://cooberpedy.sa.gov.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The District Council of Coober Pedy is a statutory South Australian local government authority delivering municipal services — water, electricity, waste, childcare, library, and conservation park management — to approximately 1,700 residents of the remote outback town of Coober Pedy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Water Supply (4941), Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal Electric Utilities (Munis) (EUADABAB)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Municipal utilities
• Remote water supply
• Waste management
• Community services

Headquarters

HQ city

Coober Pedy

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The District Council of Coober Pedy is a local government authority that provides municipal services to residents and ratepayers of the remote outback town of Coober Pedy, South Australia. Its core offerings include water supply via a desalination/reverse osmosis plant, electricity generation through a stand-alone hybrid diesel/wind/solar system, waste management, child care, library services, animal management, and community facilities. The council also manages the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park and provides governance services including council meetings, financial management, and rate administration.

Product overview

District Council of Coober Pedy operates as a local government authority providing essential municipal services to the community of Coober Pedy, South Australia. The council manages a standalone utility infrastructure including water supply (via desalination/reverse osmosis) and electricity generation (via hybrid diesel/wind/solar system). Beyond utilities, the council delivers community services including childcare, library, swimming pool, waste management, animal management, and manages the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park. Governance services include council meetings, financial management, and various administrative functions. The council is governed by appointed administrators following the dissolution of the elected council.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Supply and Reticulation Coober Pedy produces and reticulates its own water through a desalination/reverse osmosis plant, providing potable water to the community of approximately 1,700 residents.
• Electricity Generation and Supply Coober Pedy generates its own power through a stand-alone Hybrid Diesel/Wind/Solar System, providing electricity to residents and businesses independently of the main South Australian grid.
• Community Services Provides child care (Mini Gems Children's Centre), library services, swimming pool, community health and wellbeing programs, community grants, and emergency management services for the local community.
• Waste Management Services Includes rubbish collection, waste depot operations, and recycling services for the community of Coober Pedy.
• Animal Management Provides dog registration, management of impounded animals, and animal attack response services for the local community.
• Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park The council manages the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park as a major tourist attraction and protected environmental area for visitors and tourists.
• Council Meeting Management Provides access to council agendas, minutes, meeting recordings, and committee documentation for transparent local government operations.
• Financial Management Services Includes annual business plans, budgets, long-term financial plans, fees and charges, credit card transactions, and infrastructure and asset management plans for the council.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Power and Water Corporation: Northern Territory Government-owned utility providing electricity, water and sewerage services across remote NT communities — the closest analogue to Coober Pedy's combined standalone power-and-water utility model, but at multi-community scale.
• Horizon Power: WA Government-owned regional electricity utility serving 38 remote and regional communities across Western Australia — comparable to Coober Pedy's standalone electricity operation, though as a much larger state-level entity rather than a single-town council.
• Essential Energy: NSW Government-owned distribution network serving regional and remote NSW — comparable as a regional/remote-area electricity operator, though focused on distribution rather than Coober Pedy's generation role.
• SA Water: South Australian state-owned water utility operating treatment, desalination and distribution infrastructure statewide — comparable to Coober Pedy's desalination/reverse osmosis operations, though at vastly greater scale and as a state-level incumbent.
• Ergon Energy (Energy Queensland): Queensland regional electricity distributor serving remote and regional customers — comparable to the electricity portion of Coober Pedy's operations, though at much larger scale and as a state-level incumbent.

Direct peers

• Shire of Ashburton: Large, sparsely populated shire in WA's Pilbara delivering municipal services to a remote community, with comparable reliance on rates, grants and user fees for utility, waste, and community services.
• Aurukun Shire Council: Remote Queensland Indigenous community council providing municipal and essential services to a small, geographically isolated population — directly comparable in scale, funding model, and service-portfolio breadth to the District Council of Coober Pedy.
• Shire of East Pilbara: Remote Western Australian local government authority serving a small, geographically dispersed population in the Pilbara region with similar municipal service delivery, rates-based funding, and remote-area operating challenges comparable to Coober Pedy.
• Shire of Broome: WA regional local government authority combining municipal services with significant tourism traffic — comparable to Coober Pedy's mix of rate-based municipal services and tourism-driven Council activity (Kanku-Breakaways).

Regional players

• City of Tea Tree Gully: South Australian metropolitan council; relevant because supporting administrator John Moyle was its former CEO, making it a directly comparable SA local government body operating under the same state Local Government Act framework as Coober Pedy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/districtcouncilcooberpedy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/district-council-of-coober-pedy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about District Council of Coober Pedy