When the District Council of Yankalilla was established in 1854 it included the Rapid Bay district, but in 1856 Rapid Bay became a District Council in its own right. The first chairman of the Rapid Bay District Council was William Randall, and the first meeting was held at the house of John Newbold at Bullaparinga. Later meetings were held in the Finniss Vale hotel at Finniss Vale and then in a building at Bullaparinga.

By the 1870s there were proposals to build a new Council Chamber, and in 1877 tenders for the building were called for, and the tender of Mr William Thomas, £261 12s, was accepted. The Government gave section 91 for the Council Chamber. The building was opened on August 14, 1878.

The Rapid Bay District Council continued until 1932, when the Yankalilla and the Rapid Bay Councils were amalgamated. The Council Chamber at Bullaparinga, no longer needed, was adapted and rented out as a private residence. The Council finally sold the property in 1988.