Lithgow, New South Wales

For other uses, see Lithgow (disambiguation).

Lithgow
New South Wales
Aerial view of Lithgow in June 2018, looking west
Lithgow is located in New South Wales
Lithgow
Lithgow
Coordinates33°29′S 150°09′E / 33.483°S 150.150°E / -33.483; 150.150
Population20,000 (2020)[1]
Established1870s
Postcode(s)2790
Elevation950 m (3,117 ft)[2]
Location
LGA(s)City of Lithgow
CountyCook
ParishLett
State electorate(s)Bathurst
Federal division(s)Calare
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
18.2 °C
65 °F		 6.4 °C
44 °F		 860.1 mm
33.9 in

Lithgow is a town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia and is the administrative centre of the City of Lithgow local government area. It is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of William Lithgow.

Lithgow is on the Great Western Highway, about 150 km (95 mi) west of Sydney,[3] or via the old mountain route, Bells Line of Road, from Windsor. At June 2021 Lithgow had an urban population of 11,197.[1] Lithgow is surrounded by a varied landscape characterised by seven valleys which include national parks, one of which, the Blue Mountains National Park, is a World Heritage Area. The Wollemi National Park is home to the Jurassic-age tree the Wollemi Pine, which was found growing in a remote canyon in the park.[4]

Location

Main Street Shops in 2019

The city sits on the western edge of the sandstone country of the Blue Mountains and is usually considered the first true country town west of Sydney. Immediate surrounding areas include the old mining hamlet of Vale of Clwydd and Oakey Park, a famous iron and steel village, of which fiery night scenes have been depicted in many paintings, as well as large areas of bush and state forest. The next city to the west is Bathurst, 60 km (37 mi) away.

Lithgow is in the NSW State electorate of Bathurst, while federally it is part of electorate of Calare. Lithgow is the western terminus for the electric section of the Main Western railway line from Sydney. It is home to the Zig Zag Railway.

History

Lithgow Blast Furnace

The mountainous terrain of the Blue Mountains and the expense of building long tunnels required the construction of the Lithgow Zig Zag 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 Although it was superseded in 1910 by more modern engineering methods, including ten tunnels, parts of the Zig Zag have been developed into a popular tourist attraction.[5] Following a period of industrialisation in the late 1860s and 1870s, the town of Lithgow boomed during the 1880s, and it was incorporated as a borough in 1889.[6]

The town situated in the centre of a coal mining district and there is one coal-powered power station nearby. It is the site of Australia's first commercially viable steel mill,[7] the ruins of which are open for inspection at "Blast Furnace Park". Due to the abundance of coal and relative proximity to Sydney, in the areas surrounding Lithgow is one of the largest power stations in NSW, the Mount Piper Power Station. The Wallerawang Power Station closed in 2014 and was subsequently demolished. The Lithgow Power Station was operational from 1928 to 1964.

Population

At the 2021 census, there were 12,385 people in Lithgow.

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 8.3% of the population.
  • 82.2% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 2.2%, New Zealand 1.1%, Philippines 0.7%, India 0.6% and Scotland 0.4%.
  • 86.5% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian, Thai and Mandarin, all at 0.3%, .
  • The most common responses for religion were No Religion 34.2%, Catholic 20.7% and Anglican 16.4%.
Historical population
YearPop.±%
192113,275—    
193313,444+1.3%
194714,461+7.6%
195415,128+4.6%
196114,229−5.9%
196613,265−6.8%
197113,146−0.9%
197612,703−3.4%
198112,793+0.7%
198612,369−3.3%
199111,968−3.2%
199611,441−4.4%
200111,023−3.7%
200611,298+2.5%
201111,143−1.4%
201611,530+3.5%
202111,197−2.9%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data.[8][9]

Heritage listings

St Helens
Methven

Lithgow has a number of heritage-listed sites, including the following listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register:

In addition, the following sites were listed on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate:[21]

  • Former Station Master's Residence (now Caddie's Restaurant), a sandstone cottage designed by John Clifton and built in 1869
  • Eskbank House, Bennett Street, built by Thomas Brown in 1842
  • Lithgow Valley Pottery Site Kiln, 1875 to 1908
  • Lithgow Court House, corner Bridge and Mort Streets, a brick building in the Arts and Crafts style
  • La Salle Cottage (formerly Cooerwull Academy), Rabaul Street, a stone building in the Victorian Gothic Revival style, built circa 1882
  • Methven, Lidsdale Road, a sandstone house built by Andrew Brown in the 1870s
  • Lithgow Small Arms Factory

Lithgow was also the location of an alleged assassination attempt on the life of Queen Elizabeth II in 1970.[22]

Climate

Lithgow features a moderate oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) with mild to warm summers, cool to cold winters and generally steady precipitation year-round. Despite its location on highlands, Lithgow manages to have 90.3 clear days annually.

Lithgow is one of the few Australian cities to see snow, though mostly insignificant in quantity due to the winter rain shadow brought about by the ranges to the west of the city. One major event was the late-season snowfall in October 2014, where 20 centimetres (7.9 in) of snow fell.[23][24]

Climate data for Lithgow (Birdwood St, 1912–2006, rainfall to 1889); 950 m AMSL; 33.49° S, 150.15° E
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 37.8
(100.0) 		38.4
(101.1) 		35.1
(95.2) 		30.8
(87.4) 		23.9
(75.0) 		19.5
(67.1) 		19.8
(67.6) 		22.5
(72.5) 		27.6
(81.7) 		33.1
(91.6) 		37.2
(99.0) 		36.8
(98.2) 		38.4
(101.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 25.5
(77.9) 		24.7
(76.5) 		22.4
(72.3) 		18.4
(65.1) 		14.3
(57.7) 		11.1
(52.0) 		10.4
(50.7) 		12.0
(53.6) 		15.4
(59.7) 		18.7
(65.7) 		21.5
(70.7) 		24.5
(76.1) 		18.2
(64.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 11.9
(53.4) 		12.1
(53.8) 		10.1
(50.2) 		6.7
(44.1) 		3.9
(39.0) 		1.8
(35.2) 		0.7
(33.3) 		1.3
(34.3) 		3.4
(38.1) 		6.0
(42.8) 		8.1
(46.6) 		10.4
(50.7) 		6.4
(43.5)
Record low °C (°F) 2.8
(37.0) 		3.5
(38.3) 		0.0
(32.0) 		−4.0
(24.8) 		−6.1
(21.0) 		−7.0
(19.4) 		−8.0
(17.6) 		−8.0
(17.6) 		−5.0
(23.0) 		−2.3
(27.9) 		−1.7
(28.9) 		0.6
(33.1) 		−8.0
(17.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 94.3
(3.71) 		83.8
(3.30) 		83.8
(3.30) 		62.7
(2.47) 		63.0
(2.48) 		67.3
(2.65) 		67.6
(2.66) 		63.4
(2.50) 		58.9
(2.32) 		67.7
(2.67) 		70.0
(2.76) 		76.1
(3.00) 		861.8
(33.93)
Average rainy days 10.6 10.2 10.6 9.1 10.4 11.7 11.7 11.1 10.2 10.3 10.0 9.8 125.7
Average snowy days 0 0 0 0.08 0.08 0.56 0.72 0.72 0.24 0.12 0 0 2.52
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) 54 58 60 59 66 67 66 56 54 51 53 50 58
Source: [2]

Iron and steel industry

Lithgow at dusk c. 1989

In 1848, iron smelting began in Mittagong, Australia. It proved unprofitable for the remainder of the 19th century. This situation remained until the early 20th century when no iron ore was being smelted. The only iron being cast was by William Sandford in Lithgow. His works were bought by G. & C. Hoskins in 1907, who had previously been making iron pipes in Sydney. The Lithgow works acquired a reputation for industrial disputes.

Retail

Lithgow's range of both small and major retailers include:

Lithgow has one major shopping centre, Lithgow Valley Plaza. With over 500 parking spaces, the plaza has two anchor stores and over 30 specialty retailers including:

The Lithgow District Chamber of Commerce has been providing advocacy, events and services for local retailers and the economy of Lithgow and the surrounding towns and villages since 2015.

Lithgow offers a unique range of retail and specialised boutique stores along the main street, along with a large variety of quality cafes

Tourist attractions

Blast Furnace park

Lithgow is adjacent to a number of national parks and other attractions. Places to visit include the Zig Zag Railway, Glow Worm Tunnel, Newnes in the Wolgan Valley and Glen Davis in the Capertee Valley, the second largest canyon in the world.[25]

Eskbank House

Other attractions include the Hartley Historic Site, Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum, Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway and the Eskbank House Museum. Lithgow is also close to Jenolan Caves, which are a World Heritage Area and lie to the south of Lithgow.[26]

The most popular tourist event in Lithgow is Ironfest, an annual cultural heritage event that attracts over 10,000 visitors.[27] Ironfest hosts the annual St George's Day Jousting Tournament which involves contestants from all around the world. The festival also features a colonial battle re-enactment, called the 'Battle of Lithgow' which involves over 120 participants, kitted out in fully authentic 19th century apparel, and involving cavalry, infantry and artillery. As well as these two historical re-enactment events Ironfest includes historical & auto displays, blacksmith demonstrations, art exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations, as well as live music and performances.

James St bridge

The Lithgow Greyhound Racing Club was established in 1928 [28][29] and its Saturday race meetings are also a popular tourist attraction. The annual feature event is the Lithgow Golden Muzzle held every December, which is sponsored by the Lithgow Workers Club.

Media

Electronic media in Lithgow is represented by commercial radio stations 2LT and Move FM operated by Midwest Radio Network, public broadcasters ABC and SBS, and commercial networks Seven, WIN and Southern Cross 10, 7two, 7mate, 9Gem, 9Go!, 10 Bold and 10 Peach.

There is a free fortnightly paper – The Central West Village Voice. The Lithgow Mercury is a newspaper published weekly.

Transport

Lithgow railway station

Local bus services are operated by Lithgow Buslines.[30]

Lithgow railway station on the Main Western railway line is the terminus for NSW TrainLink Blue Mountains Line services from Sydney.[31] As well as being a calling point for the Bathurst Bullet, Central West Express and Outback Xplorer services to Bathurst, Dubbo and Broken Hill, it is the terminus for road coach services from Orange, Grenfell, Dubbo, Nyngan, Parkes and Coonabarabran.[32]

In 1983, the State Rail Authority opened the Lithgow Locomotive Maintenance Centre at the eastern end of Lithgow.[33][34][35] It is today operated by Pacific National. Southern Shorthaul Railroad has a maintenance facility at the Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway.[36][37]

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ a b "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, 2008 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Climate statistics for Lithgow (Birdwood St)". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  3. ^ Robinson's Road Atlas of Australia, Edition 8 (Lansdowne Press) 1983, Map 204
  4. ^ "Wollemi National Park: Visitor Info". NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  5. ^ Bozier, Rolfe (ed.). "Main Western Line". NSWrail.net. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
  6. ^ Cremin, Aedeen (1989). "The Growth of an Industrial Valley: Lithgow, New South Wales" (PDF). Australian Historical Archaeology. 7. Sydney, New South Wales: Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology: 38. OCLC 742063057.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ Grunbach, A (September 2000). "An Episode in our Troubled Steel Industry". Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin: 323–331.
  8. ^ "Statistics by Catalogue Number". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Search Census data". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Lithgow Valley Colliery & Pottery Site". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00078. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  11. ^ "Great Zig Zag Railway and Reserves". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00542. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  12. ^ "Lithgow Coal Stage Signal Box". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01832. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  13. ^ "Lithgow Blast Furnace". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00548. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  14. ^ "Eskbank House and Moveable Collections". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H02008. Retrieved 18 February 2020. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  15. ^ "McKanes Falls Bridge". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01473. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  16. ^ "Lithgow (James St) Underbridge". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01831. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  17. ^ "Eskbank Railway Station group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01138. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  18. ^ "Great Zig Zag Railway deviation tunnels". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01037. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  19. ^ "Lithgow Railway Station Group and Residence". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01833. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  20. ^ "Cooerwull Railway footbridge". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01115. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  21. ^ The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, pp.2/264-265
  22. ^ Malkin, Bonnie; Pierce, Andrew (27 January 2009). "Queen and Prince Philip were 'victims' of Australian assassination attempt". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  23. ^ Hart, Chloe; Woodburn, Joanna (16 October 2014). "Power still out and clean up continues day after Lithgow snow storm". ABC News. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  24. ^ Nageshwar, Pranesh; Paterson, Ian (15 October 2014). "Snow falls in Blackheath in springtime as Sydney's wild weather continues". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  25. ^ "Capertee Valley". Lithgow Visitor Information Centre. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  26. ^ "Lithgow". Visit NSW. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  27. ^ "Come for the knight life". Sydney Morning Herald. 5 April 2008. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020.
  28. ^ 1928 Lithgow Greyhounds
  29. ^ "Lithgow Greyhound Racing Club". Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  30. ^ Timetables Lithgow Buslines
  31. ^ Blue Mountains Line Transport for NSW
  32. ^ Western Region timetable Transport for NSW
  33. ^ Lithgow loco depot officially opened State Wide January 1984 page 6
  34. ^ Lithgow Locomotive Depot Electric Traction May 1984 page 80
  35. ^ Intelligence Railway Gazette International May 1984 page 332
  36. ^ Relaunch State Mine Railway
  37. ^ Workshop Services Southern Shorthaul Railroad
  38. ^ "Andrew Brown". Lithgow Tourism. Auzziebiz. 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  39. ^ Kerry Myers (3 August 2014). "A faithful son of the church: former Sydney Archbishop Edward Clancy dies". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  40. ^ Doyle, John (9 July 2006). "The Songlines Conversations". Big Ideas (transcript). Interviewed by Gregg Borschmann. Radio National. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  41. ^ Jackson Nelson, Marjorie (31 May 2004). "GNT History". George Negus Tonight (transcript). Interviewed by George Negus. ABC1. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  42. ^ K. A. Johnson (1983). Jones, Nina Eva Vida (1882–1966). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  43. ^ Williams, Brett (December 2009). "To live and breathe politics" (PDF). Police Journal. Police Association of South Australia: 26–27, 47. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  44. ^ "David Troy Palmer - Bio". David Palmer Biography. Team Palmer. 2005. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  45. ^ "Marty Roebuck player profile". Scrum.com. ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  46. ^ Lee, Jack. Truscott, William John (1886–1966). Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
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