Lismore, New South Wales

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Lismore New South Wales
Left Bank Cafe, Spinks Park.
Lismore
Population:	30,086 [1] (42)
Established:	1856
Postcode:	2480
Coordinates:	28°49′S 153°17′E / 28.817°S 153.283°E / -28.817; 153.283Coordinates: 28°49′S 153°17′E / 28.817°S 153.283°E / -28.817; 153.283
Elevation:	12 m (39 ft)
Location:	764 km (475 mi) from Sydney 91 km (57 mi) from Surfers Paradise
LGA:	City of Lismore
State District:	Lismore
Federal Division:	Page
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Annual Rainfall 25.5 °C 78 °F 13.2 °C 56 °F 1,343.0 mm 52.9 in

The Rainbow Train in Heritage Park in Lismore

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.

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 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. The township was soon settled and a Post Office opened on October 1, 1859.^[2] Lismore was incorporated a municipality on 5 March 1879, and was proclaimed a city on 30 August 1946. ^[3] From the mid 1950s until the early 1960s Lismore hosted an annual Floral Carnival in early September. The week-long programme of events culminated in a street parade of decorated floats, crowning of the Floral Queen and a fireworks display. ^[4]

Rainforest

Lismore and surrounding towns were once part of the rainforest referred to as "The Big Scrub," of which less than one per cent remains following European settlement. A section of this rainforest is viewable in the grounds of Southern Cross University.

Geography

Lismore is located on the Bruxner Highway and the Wilsons River, a tributary of the Richmond River. The state capital Sydney is 764 km (475 mi) south by road.^[5] 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 rainforest patches 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.

Lismore is featured in the first verse of the original version of "I've Been Everywhere" and also mentioned in the Midnight Oil song "Outside World" from the album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Demographics

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The City's population at the 2006 census was 30,086.^[1] There has been a steady growth in population from the 2001 and 2006 censuses. 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.
• 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, Germany, and Italy.

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.

Media

The Northern Rivers Echo is a free weekly community newspaper with 27,000 copies^{[citation needed]} going to Lismore, Alstonville, Wollongbar, Ballina, Casino, Nimbin and Evans Head. The Northern Star is a tabloid newspaper based in Lismore. It covers the region from Casino to Ballina and up to Murwillimbah and Byron Bay, covering a population of several hundred thousand.^{[citation needed]}

The commercial radio stations in the area are Triple Z (Hit Music) & 2LM 900 AM (also broadcast on 104.3fm). Both are run by Broadcast Operations Group. The community radio station is 2NCR 92.9 FM which offers an independent alternative media voice playing a diverse range of music. Other radio stations are JJJ 96.1 FM, Radio National 96.9 FM, Classic FM 95.3 and ABC North Coast 94.5 FM.

Business

The four largest industries by employment are retail, health care, education (Southern Cross University) and agriculture (Norco milk).^{[citation needed]}

Education

• The Southern Cross University is the 'home' university of Lismore. It attracts a high number of out-of-region students, attracted to the natural beauty of the area, and is the 7th highest leading provider of long distance education in Australia. Entry scores for the university have been steadily rising since the university's establishment more than a decade ago.

Lismore and the surrounding area is home to a number of public and private schools, including:

• Blue Hills College
• Kadina High School
• Lismore High School
• Lismore South Public School
• Richmond River High School
• St John's College, Woodlawn
• Summerland Christian College [1]
• Trinity Catholic College Lismore [2]
• Vistara Primary

Climate

Lismore experiences mild to warm temperatures all year round, with ample rainfall. Temperatures in summer range between 27 °C (81 °F) and 40 °C (104 °F). The sub-tropical climate combined with geographical features means the urban area is unusually humid when compared with surrounding areas, especially in summer. 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 (40 ft). Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh whilst staying in the Gollan Hotel in 1954 were almost floodbound by one such inundation.[3] Following a flood in 2001, the then Premier of New South Wales — Bob Carr — initiated a flood levee program to curb the problem. Nonetheless, over 9000 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. On October 25, 2007 a tornado struck nearby Dunoon, captured on video as it struck a direct hit on an electrical transformer station.^[6]

Sister cities

Lismore formed a 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 and Lismore in Ireland.

Leaders

• Mayor Jenny Dowell
• Member Of Federal Parliament Janelle Saffin
• Member Of State Parliament Thomas George

Notable people

• Famed tightrope walker Con Colleano was born in Lismore in 1899.
• Nigel Roy rugby league player was born in Lismore in 1974.
• Retired Australian cricket wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist grew up in Lismore from the age of 13 and captained his school team.
• pop/rock band Grinspoon started out in Lismore
• Retired Socceroo Craig Foster was born in Lismore in 1969.
• Robbie Buck from Triple J

See also

New South Wales portal

• Lismore Airport
• Lismore Turf Club

References

External links

• Southern Cross University
• Wireless Broadband News
• Northern Rivers Echo newspaper
• Northern Star newspaper
• The Richmond River Historical Society
• Collection of photographs of Lismore in 1995, National Library of Australia
• Lismore Regional Gallery Artabase page