The Shire of Clifton was originally constituted a Divisional Board by proclamation dated November 11, 1879 under the Divisional Boards Act. The first meeting of the board took place on February 3, 1880.
In 1903, the Clifton Divisional Board was abolished by the Governor-in-Council, and the Clifton Shire Council was created.
The Clifton Shire Area comprises 865 square kilometres with a population of 2600. The Shire Office is situated at Clifton where the population is 1070.
The Shire Office is a neatly constructed brick building, which opened in 1940. It was one of the first modern civic building built by local authorities on the Downs.