Lithgow, New South Wales

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lithgow New South Wales
Blast Furnace Park, Lithgow
Population:	11,023[1]
Postcode:	2790
Elevation:	950 [2] m
Location:	150 km from Sydney
LGA:	City of Lithgow
State District:	Bathurst
Federal Division:	Calare
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Rainfall 18.3 °C 65 °F 6.3 °C 43 °F 860.1 mm 33.9 in

Lithgow is situated in New South Wales, Australia and is centre of the local political division City of Lithgow. It is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of William Lithgow, the first Auditor-General of New South Wales. Lithgow is located on the Great Western Highway, about 150km or two hours drive west of Sydney, or via the old mountain route "Bell's Line of Road" from Windsor.

The city sits on the western edge of the sandstone of the Blue Mountains and is usually considered the first true country town west of Sydney. Immediate surounding areas incude the old mining hamlet of Vale of Clywydd and Oakey Park, a famous iron and steel village, of which fiery night scenes have been depicted in many paintings. The next city to the West is Bathurst, 60km away.

Lithgow is in the NSW State electorate of Bathurst, while federally it is part of electorate of Calare. Lithgow benefits from being the western terminus for the electric section of the Main Western railway line from Sydney.

The mountainous terrain of the Blue Mountains and the expense of building long tunnels required the construction of the Zig Zag Railway between 1866 and 1869. The line was opened as far as Bowenfels, just to the west, in 1869, but Lithgow station was not opened until 1877. Although it was superseded in 1910 by more modern engineering methods, including ten tunnels, the Zig Zag remains a popular tourist attraction.^[3]

The town is the centre of a coal mining district and there are a number of coal-powered power stations nearby. It is the site of Australia's first steel mill, the ruins of which are open for inspection at "Blast Furnace Park".

Marjorie Jackson, Olympic Gold Medalist and Governor of South Australia, was brought up in Lithgow and at the peak of her athletic career was famously known as "The Lithgow Flash". Marty Roebuck, the former Australian Rugby Union Test Fullback, was born in Lithgow. The town has also been made famous by the comedy/current affairs team of Roy and HG. Roy (John Doyle) was born in Lithgow and tells frequent stories of when he played for the (fictitious) Rugby League team the Shamrocks, under (fictitious) coach Grassy Knowles.

Ironfest. Lithgow is the home to numerous events, including the annual Lithgow District Ironfest: an arts festival with a metal edge. Ironfest was founded by Macgregor Ross (See website details below), a metal artist, in 2000. The first Ironfest celebrated the one hundred year anniversary of the birth of steel in Australia, in Lithgow.

Celebrating working and playing with metal, Ironfest combines art, history and technology. It incorporates the annual Australasian World Jousting Tournament, featuring riders from all around the world, and the biggest annual colonial battle reenactment, entitled 'The Battle of Lithgow', in Australia.

Ironfest is the biggest annual cultural heritage event held in the Central West NSW, comprising of art exhibitions, stalls, live musical acts, street performance, historical re-enactment, educational and historical exhibits, technological displays, art making workshops and demonstrations, busking competitions, automotive exhibitions, machinery exhibitions, circus acts and competitions, video exhibitions, youth and multicultural events. Ironfest attracts visitors from all over the world.

[edit] External links

• Lithgow and surrounds
• Biography of Marjorie Jackson at the Governor of South Australia Web Site
• Major local community event
• Artwork by Macgregor Ross Web Site

[edit] References

1. ^ Lithgow (Urban Centre/Locality). 2001 Census QuickStats. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
2. ^ Ballina Airport AWS. Climate Averages for Australian Sites. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
3. ^ Main Western Line. www.nswrail.net. Retrieved on 2006-11-29.

Coordinates: 33°29′S 150°09′E

	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