Lismore, New South Wales

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Lismore
New South Wales

The Rainbow Train in Heritage Park in Lismore
Population: 27,193[1]
Postcode: 2480
Elevation: 11[2] m
Location: 860 km from Sydney
LGA: City of Lismore
State District: Lismore
Federal Division: Page
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Rainfall
25.5 °C
78 °F		 13.2 °C
56 °F		 1343.0 mm
52.9 in

Lismore is a sub-tropical city in New South Wales, Australia. It is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. It is a major regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the state.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Lismore is located at latitude 28.81° south of the equator, and Longitude 153.274° on the Bruxner Highway and the Wilson River, which is a tributary of the Richmond River. The State capital Sydney is 860km south by road. Brisbane, the State capital of Queensland is within a 2.5-hour drive to the north.

Lismore central business district is located within 30 minutes' drive from the eastern coast, and within 45 minutes of Byron Bay. The coastal town of Ballina is nearby. There are a number of rainforests in the area, remnants of what was once known as the Big Scrub. These are preserved today, with a small remnant known as Boatharbour Reserve just east of town on the Bangalow road. The nearest national park is Nightcap National Park.

[edit] Demographics

The City's population in 2001 was 43,388 people. A population decrease of 0.5% occurred between 1996 and 2001. 2.6% of the total population are of Indigenous Australian origin, totaling 1422 individuals. The median age is 36 years, one year above the state average of 35 years of age.

  • Urban population: 65% of people live in the urban areas of Lismore. The Goonellabah area has the largest urban population with 13,706 people or 32.72% of the total Local Government Area and 50.74% of the total urban population.
  • Rural population: 5% of people live in the surrounding villages of Lismore. Modanville is the largest village population with 467 people. 30% of people live in rural areas.
  • Education: Lismore has 7,340 school-age children. 26 government primary schools are present in the area, 9 non-government primary schools (3 of which incorporate secondary schools), 3 government secondary schools and 2 non-government secondary schools.
  • Older persons: 12.8% of the population is over 65 years of age. The total number of persons over this age is 5,356. This represents an increase of 319 people, or 1.2% growth since 1996.
  • Youth: 19.9% of the population is between 12 and 24 years of age. The total number of persons in this age range is 8,314. This represents a decrease of 1,012 people or -2.28% since 1996.
  • Ethnicity: 35,943 people in the area are of Australian origin. This represents a total of 85.8% of people in the entire area. In the urban areas, those born overseas are primarily from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Italy. In the rural areas, overseas origins are mainly the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Germany.

In the urban areas, the three most common languages, other than English, spoken at home are: Italian, Chinese languages, and German. In the rural areas the three most common languages, other than English, spoken at home are Italian, German, and Spanish. Another language commonly spoken is Hungarian.

Despite its being the centre of a non-metropolitan area, it is nonetheless one of the most accepting and socially liberal settlements anywhere in rural Australia.

[edit] Business

The four largest industries by employment are; retail sector, health care, education (Southern Cross University) and agriculture. The median individual income in 2001 was $236 AUD.

[edit] Schools

Lismore and the surrounding area is home to a number of public and private schools, including:
Kadina High School [1]
Lismore High School
Richmond River High School
Summerland Christian College
St John's College, Woodlawn
Trinity Catholic College Lismore [2]

[edit] History

The city of Lismore resides in the Aboriginal Bundjalung Nation area. Evidence indicates the Bundjalung people arrived from the north of Australia around 8,000 years ago. European History of Lismore begins in c.1843. A pastoral run covering an area of 93 km² was taken up by Captain Dumaresq at this time covering the Lismore area. The run was stocked with sheep from the New England area. Ward Stephens took up the run in the same year, but the sub-tropical climate was unsuited to sheep grazing, so the run was eventually abandoned. In January 1845, William and Jane Wilson took over the run. Jane Wilson was responsible for naming it after Lismore, Scotland, where the couple honeymooned. The Wilsons were Scottish themselves, and arrived in NSW in May 1883. In 1855, a surveyor by the name of Frederick Peppercorne was instructed by Sir Thomas Mitchell to determine a site for a township in the area. The chosen site was William Wilson's homestead paddock, and the area was proclaimed the "Town of Lismore" in the NSW Government Gazette on 1 May 1856.

[edit] Climate

Lismore experiences mild to warm temperatures all year round, with an ample rainfall. Temperatures in the summer range from anywhere between 27ºC and 40ºC. The sub-tropical climate combined with geographical features means the urban area is unusually humid when compared with surrounding areas, especially in the summer season. Although no major environmental hazards affect the area, Lismore is renowned for the occasional flood, one of the worst having occurred in 1974, rising to a water height of 12.1 Metres. Following a flood in 2001, the then Premier of New South Wales — Bob Carr — initiated a flood levee program to curb the problem. Nonetheless, 6,000 residents of Lismore were evacuated after floods affected much of the area on June 30, 2005, many being temporarily housed on the campus of Southern Cross University. However, a new levee that had been completed two weeks prior limited damage and stopped the water reaching the central business area.

[edit] Sister cities

Lismore formed sister-city relationship with Yamatotakada City, Nara Prefecture, Japan in 1963. It was the first such relationship established between Australia and Japan.

Lismore is also sistered with Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA.

[edit] Radio Stations

[edit] Churches and other religions / belief systems

Lismore and its surrounds are host to many religions and belief systems (including Christianity):

  • Anglican
  • Baha'i
  • Baptist
  • Buddhist
  • Christadelphian
  • Christian Bretheren
  • Christian Life Centre
  • Church of Christ
  • Hare Krishna
  • Hindu
  • Islam
  • Jehovah's Witnesses
  • Jewish
  • Pagan
  • Potters' Fellowship
  • Presbyterian
  • Revival Fellowship
  • Roman Catholic
  • Seventh-day Adventist
  • Sikh
  • Uniting
  • Wesleyan Methodist

as well as high levels of secularism, atheism, agnosticism, and nontheism. The most recent arrival on the 'church' scene is the Church of the Holy Smoke, celebrating the region's noted cannabis culture.

[edit] Trivia

  • Lismore is featured in the first verse of the Australian version of I've Been Everywhere
  • Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh stayed in the local Gollan Hotel in 1954 (and were almost floodbound by one of the town's famed inundations).[3]
  • Lismore is mentioned in the Midnight Oil song 'Outside World' from the album 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lismore (Urban Centre/Locality). 2001 Census QuickStats. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
  2. ^ Lismore. Climate Averages for Australian Sites. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.

Coordinates: 28°49′S 153°17′E


Flag of New South Wales

Cities of New South Wales
Capital:

Sydney
Cities:

Albury | Armidale | Bathurst | Blue Mountains | Broken Hill | Cessnock | Coffs Harbour | Dubbo | Gosford | Goulburn | Grafton | Griffith | Greater Taree | Hawkesbury | Lake Macquarie | Lismore | Lithgow | Maitland | Newcastle | Orange | Queanbeyan | Shellharbour | Shoalhaven | Tamworth | Wagga Wagga | Wollongong
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