Lismore is a city in northeastern
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia and the main population centre in the
City of Lismore
The City of Lismore is a local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The seat of the local government area is Lismore, a major regional centre of the state.
The mayor of Lismore City Council since Decemb ...
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
; it is also a regional centre in the
Northern Rivers
Northern Rivers is the most north-easterly region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence, Richmond, and Tweed rivers. ...
region of the State. It is situated on a low flood plain on the banks of the
Wilsons River near the latter's junction with Leycester Creek, both tributaries of the
Richmond River
The Richmond River is a river situated in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
The river rises at the northern end of the Richmond Range, near its junction with the McPherson Range, on the Queensla ...
which enters the Pacific Ocean at
Ballina, to the east. The original settlement initially developed as a grazing property in the 1840s, then became a timber and agricultural town and inland port based around substantial river traffic, which prior to the development of the road and rail networks was the principal means of transportation in the region. Use of the river for transport declined and then ceased around the mid-twentieth century, however by that time Lismore (which was elevated to city status in 1946) had become well established as the largest urban centre in the region, providing its surrounding area with a range of services. The city is also located on the
Bruxner Highway
Bruxner Highway, and its former alignment as Bruxner Way, are a state highway and rural road respectively, located in New South Wales, Australia. The route forms an east–west link from the Northern Rivers coast, across the Northern Tablelands ...
which crosses the Wilsons River at Lismore, and was formerly a stop on the
Casino-Murwillumbah railway line. It is the home of one of the three campuses of
Southern Cross University
Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland.
It is ranked in the top ...
.
With its low-lying position adjacent to the Wilsons River, which can rise rapidly following periods of high rainfall in its catchment, the centre of Lismore is susceptible to flooding, although it is partly protected by a system of levees and flood gates. Noteworthy recent floods occurred in 1974, 2017 in the aftermath of
Cyclone Debbie
Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Queensland since Cyclone Marcia, Marcia in 2014–15 Australian region cyclone season, 2015, and was the costliest tropical cyclone in Australia since Cyclone ...
and the worst ever in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
. A budget was announced for additional flood mitigation works in November 2018.
At the , the urban population of Lismore was 28,816.
History
Pre-colonial history
The city of Lismore lies in the
Bundjalung people
The Bundjalung people, also spelt Bunjalung, Badjalang and Bandjalang, are Aboriginal Australians who are the original custodians of the northern coastal area of New South Wales, Australia, located approximately northeast of Sydney, an area th ...
's nation area. However, the actual area of the Bundjalung people from Evans Head is currently under examination, as well as the actual origin of the name Bundjalung. It has been suggested that the Aboriginal people called the area Tuckurimbah meaning "glutton."
Early colonial history
The British history of the city begins in : a pastoral run covering an area of was taken up by
Captain Dumaresq at this time covering the Lismore area and was stocked with sheep from the
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
area. Ward Stephens took up the run in the same year, but the subtropical climate was unsuited for sheep grazing, so it was eventually abandoned. In January 1845, William and Jane Wilson took it over. The Wilsons were Scottish immigrants, who arrived in New South Wales in May 1833. Mrs. Wilson named the property after the small
island of Lismore, one of the
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...
in
Loch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe () is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. The part upstream of Corran is known in Gaelic as (the black pool, originally known as Loch Abar), and downstream as (the salty pool). The name ''Linnhe'' is derived from the Gaelic w ...
,
Argyleshire.
In 1855, the surveyor Frederick Peppercorne was instructed by Sir
Thomas Mitchell to determine a site for a township in the area. Peppercorne submitted his map of the proposed village reserve on 16 February 1856. 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 its post office was opened on 1 October 1859.
![Timber-getting at Lismore (4952339313)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Timber-getting_at_Lismore_%284952339313%29.jpg)
From the 1840s onwards, timber cutters moved up the Richmond River from its
Ballina entrance felling timber from the extensive, previously untouched subtropical rainforest covering the region known as the "
Big Scrub
The Big Scrub was the largest area of subtropical lowland rainforest in eastern Australia. It was intensively cleared for agricultural use in the 19th century (1801–1900) by settlers. Less than 1% now remains.
Located on the North Coast of New ...
"; their primary interest was the Australian red cedar, ''
Toona ciliata
''Toona ciliata'' is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia.
Names
It is commonly known as the red cedar (a name shared by other trees), toon or toona (also ...
'', known locally as "red gold", which was highly prized for its appearance, ease of working, and pest resistance. At that time there was no substantial network of roads so rivers were the primary means of access and bulk transportation. Despite its low-lying position and propensity for flooding (which was to cause problems in subsequent times), Lismore developed as an inland port owing to its location at the highest navigable point for large cargo-carrying vessels on the north arm of the Richmond, later renamed the
Wilsons, River. For the second half of the 19th century the primary industries of the Lismore region continued to be cattle grazing and timber, supporting a growing economy and population and the development of secondary industries which included ship building, transportation, saw milling, tallow manufacturing and more.
As the Big Scrub was cleared, it was steadily replaced with new pasture which formed the basis of a flourishing dairy industry, and many processing plants ("butter factories") and dairy cooperatives were established throughout the region. Infrastructure development in Lismore continued, including the presence of three schools by 1879, a new Government Wharf in 1880, two new bridges over the river in 1884 and 1885, and a new post office building (1898); by the end of that century Lismore had a population of over 4,500, although had suffered from some ravages including numerous floods plus a period of drought in the last half of the 1890s.
![The Wyrallah Richmond River, Lismore (NSW) (6474986409)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/The_Wyrallah_Richmond_River%2C_Lismore_%28NSW%29_%286474986409%29.jpg)
At the beginning of the 20th century, river navigation was still the mainstay of transportation in Lismore, the principal operator being the
North Coast Steam Navigation Company
The North Coast Steam Navigation Company was a shipping company that operated in Australia, formed as the Grafton Steam Navigation Company in 1855. The company was later renamed the Clarence & Richmond River Steam Navigation Company before being ...
. The dairy industry was performing strongly, employing hundreds of small family-owned operations, the Lismore region becoming the centre for dairy production from the surrounding farms and the richest dairy district in Australia.
A
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
had opened in 1894 as a stop on the
Murwillumbah railway line
The Murwillumbah railway line is a mostly disused railway line in far north-eastern Northern Rivers New South Wales, Australia. The line ran from Casino to Lismore, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby and Murwillumbah, opening in 1894. It is one of only ...
which ran from Lismore to the coast at
Byron Bay
Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...
and then on to
Murwillumbah
Murwillumbah ( ) is a town in far north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River. Sitting on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley, Murwillumbah is 848 km north-eas ...
, and subsequently in 1903 inland to
Casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
, but was not connected to any national network. However, as the century progressed, development of a better road network and the advance of motor transportation made inroads into the long-term success of both the river and rail traffic which eventually declined: river traffic was also affected by requisitioning of ships during the second world war and the largest shipping line operating on the two arms of the Richmond River, the North Coast Steam Navigation Company, went into liquidation in 1954; the railway line lasted until 2004 when it was closed on purely economic grounds after advising that it was "unprofitable" to continue providing services to Murwillumbah, putting an end to 110 years of rail transport in the region. Meanwhile, economic development in Lismore continued, including construction of a new School of Arts (1907, destroyed by fire in 1932), building of churches for four denominations, opening of a new
Norco (dairy farmers' cooperative) factory in 1931, and other utilities.
City status
Lismore was officially gazetted as a city on 30 August September 1946, with grant of an official coat of arms on 29 January 1947. In the early 1950s, civic pride was boosted by a visit from the newly crowned Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
with her consort who visited the city in February 1954, staying at the city's Gollan Hotel.
Television came to the city in 1956 and a local channel commenced broadcast in 1962 in the suburb of Goonellabah, which had been incorporated into the city of Lismore four years earlier. In 1969, the aerodrome at South Lismore received its licence from the Department of Civil Aviation, becoming the basis of the future
Lismore Airport
Lismore Airport is a regional airport located south of Lismore, New South Wales, Lismore in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia.
It features a modern terminal building, with some secure parking facilities. The airport sus ...
. The 1960s were something of a boom time in development for Lismore, although the dairy industry was starting to decline and by the end of that decade and into the 1970s, many farmers turned to raising beef cattle instead, or simply let their land condition lapse.
Later, especially following the 1973 "alternative society"
Aquarius Festival
The Nimbin Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students. It was the fourth in a biannual series of festivals, first organised by the National Union of Australian University Stude ...
, which was held in the nearby village of
Nimbin, the area began to attract so-called "alternative lifestylers" who were able to buy ex-dairying land at reasonable prices and re-invigorate the area with a range of pursuits and values of interest to a new generation, including an interest in owner-building of residences, experiments in communal living, environmental awareness and various artistic and creative activities, leading to badging of the area around Lismore as the "rainbow region".
Meanwhile, Lismore has also become a regional centre for higher education: the original Lismore Teachers College (1970 onwards) becoming first the Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education in 1973, then an associate member of the
University of New England, and finally (together with UNE-Coffs Harbour Centre), forming the Lismore Campus of the new
Southern Cross University
Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland.
It is ranked in the top ...
(established 1 January 1994).
In addition, tourism has become an important contributor to the region's economy as well as the development of new agricultural products such as macadamias, avocado and stone fruit, pecans, and boutique coffee plantations, which are well suited to the rich volcanic soils, subtropical climate and moderately high rainfall of the area.
As traditional agricultural and manufacturing sectors have declined somewhat, so employment in the service sector has expanded. At the 2016 census, within Lismore City and the surrounding region (43,135 persons) the top employment sectors reported were Health Care and Social Assistance (4,534 persons), Retail Trade (2,491 persons), Education and Training (2,448 persons) and Accommodation and Food Services (1,297 persons), followed by Public Administration and Safety (1,204 persons), Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (1,018 persons), Manufacturing (1,000 persons) and Construction (967 persons).
Surviving buildings of historical interest within Lismore City include the old Council Chambers (1928) in Molesworth Street designed by William Gilroy, now home to the Richmond River Historical Society Museum with a collection of objects, documents and photographs relevant to the historical development of the area, including Aboriginal artifacts; the Art Nouveau post office (1897), designed by W.L. Vernon; the original Australian Joint Stock Bank (1891), built in the Italianate style, now the T & G Building; the classical revival courthouse (1883) in Zadoc Street; and various churches including St Andrew's Anglican Church (1904), St Carthage's Roman Catholic Cathedral (1892–1907), the Uniting (formerly Methodist) Church (1908–09), the Church of Christ (1923), and St Paul's Presbyterian Church (1907–08).
The commercial city centre retains many shopfronts ranging in date from the late nineteenth to mid twentieth centuries with little modern intrusion; a feature of interest is the presence of numerous arcades, for example the 1920s Star Court Arcade, which includes the 1921 Star Court Theatre,
which allow shoppers to continue to shop in comfort in the presence of subtropical downpours as well as extremes of heat or cold.
The city also encompasses a range of parks and gardens, some bordering the river, as well as Rotary Park, a patch of regenerated rainforest close to the centre of the city, and a 27 ha remnant of the "Big Scrub" in the form of the Wilson Nature Reserve (see below).
Heritage listings
Lismore has three sites listed on the
New South Wales State Heritage Register
The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...
, namely:
*
Colemans Bridge over Leycester Creek
Colemans Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries Union Street across the Leycester Creek in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Harvey Dare and built in 1907 by W. F. Oakes. The bridge is owned by Transport for N ...
*
Lismore railway station
Lismore railway station is a heritage-listed former station on the Murwillumbah line at Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The station forecourt is served by NSW ...
group
*
Lismore railway underbridges
An additional items are listed by the local council on Local Environmental Plans under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979, including:
* The Commonwealth Bank building, Molesworth Street
* Dalley Street Conservation Area
* The former Government Savings Bank, Woodlark Street
* Lismore Fire Station, Molesworth Street
* Memorial Baths, Molesworth Street
* The former Post and Telegraph Office
A full listing of heritage sites in Lismore can be generated via a search for suburb/town = "Lismore" via the
New South Wales Heritage Database
New South Wales Heritage Database, or State Heritage Inventory, is an online database of information about historic sites in New South Wales, Australia with statutory heritage listings.
Contents
It holds the information about sites listed on t ...
.
Rainforest
Lismore and surrounding towns were once part of the rainforest referred to as the "
Big Scrub
The Big Scrub was the largest area of subtropical lowland rainforest in eastern Australia. It was intensively cleared for agricultural use in the 19th century (1801–1900) by settlers. Less than 1% now remains.
Located on the North Coast of New ...
", of which less than one percent remains following British settlement. A section of this rainforest is viewable in the grounds of the
Southern Cross University
Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland.
It is ranked in the top ...
and at Wilsons Nature Reserve on Wyrallah Road.
Geography
![Molesworth Street, Lismore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Molesworth_Street%2C_Lismore.jpg)
Lismore is located on the
Bruxner Highway
Bruxner Highway, and its former alignment as Bruxner Way, are a state highway and rural road respectively, located in New South Wales, Australia. The route forms an east–west link from the Northern Rivers coast, across the Northern Tablelands ...
and it lies at the confluence of the
Wilsons River (a tributary of the
Richmond River
The Richmond River is a river situated in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
The river rises at the northern end of the Richmond Range, near its junction with the McPherson Range, on the Queensla ...
) and Leycester Creek, The state
capital city
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...
of
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
is located to the south by
highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...
.
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, the state capital of
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, is to the north.
Lismore's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
is located from the eastern coast, and southwest of
Byron Bay
Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...
. The coastal town of
Ballina is away. There are a number of rainforest patches in the area, remnants of the Big Scrub. These are preserved today, with a small pocket known as Boatharbour Reserve just east of town on the
Bangalow
Bangalow is a small town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia in Byron Shire. The town is north of Sydney and south of Brisbane, just off the Pacific Highway. The town's name appears to have been derived from an Aborig ...
road. The nearest large and publicly accessible national park is
Nightcap National Park
The Nightcap National Park is a national park situated within the Nightcap Range in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The park was created in April 1983 and is situated north of . The national park is classed by the IUC ...
.
Climate and weather
General characteristics
Lismore experiences a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
with mild to warm temperatures all year round and ample rainfall, with a long term yearly average of 1,343 mm. Temperatures in summer range between and . The subtropical climate combined with geographical features means the urban area is unusually humid when compared with surrounding areas. Humidity levels often reach 100% in summer. Lismore has 109.6 clear days annually.
Floods
Although no major environmental hazards affect the area, Lismore is renowned for frequent floods. One of the worst of these occurred in 1974, when waters rose to a height of , which was preceded by a major flood of the same height in 1954, and others of somewhat lesser severity in 1966, 1962 and 1989.
In 1999 a government-funded scheme to protect the CBD and South Lismore from a 1-in-10-year flood event was approved. This proposal would mean that most of the smaller floods would not enter the central area of Lismore and substantially improve the time available for the evacuation of residents and the business community in larger floods. Nonetheless, around 3000 residents of Lismore were evacuated after floods affected much of the area on 30 June 2005, many being temporarily housed on the campus of Southern Cross University. However, the new levee that had been completed two weeks prior limited damage and stopped the water reaching the Central Business District.
In the aftermath of
Cyclone Debbie
Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Queensland since Cyclone Marcia, Marcia in 2014–15 Australian region cyclone season, 2015, and was the costliest tropical cyclone in Australia since Cyclone ...
in March 2017, Lismore was again badly affected by flooding of up to through all CBD businesses.
Wilsons River reached and the levee was overtopped for the first time since its completion.
A modelled projection of the maximum flood extent, plus an animation, of this flood event as affecting Lismore is available on the "BigData Earth" Company website.
A budget of $8.2 million for additional flood mitigation works was announced in November 2018.
A summary of Lismore flood events from 1870 to 2017 is availabl
here
In 2022, Lismore and other parts of northern New South Wales and South-East Queensland were flooded. The Wilson River in Lismore reached 14.37 metres at its peak, the largest flood since modern records began.
Drought and water security
A high degree of year-to-year variation in rainfall is typical of the Northern Rivers region. Periods of reduced rainfall are often associated with
El Niño
El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...
events and increased rainfall with
La Niña
La Niña (; ) is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The name ''La Niña'' originates from Spanish for "the girl", by an ...
events. For example, the region experienced a significant reduction in rainfall between late 2002 and mid-2003 and again in 2007 in association with persistent and recurrent El Niño events. In common with other areas in Australia, the Lismore region can experience drought but in general, the Northern Rivers region is less drought prone than many of its neighbours, especially those west of the
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...
(see example map for the drought-affected month of September 201
here. The municipal water supply is provided by
Rous County Council via
Rocky Creek Dam, which is situated in a high rainfall area within the
Whian Whian State Conservation Area
Whian Whian State Conservation Area is one of the protected areas of New South Wales, operated by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.water restrictions
An outdoor water-use restriction is a ban or other lesser restrictions put into effect that restricts the outdoor use of water supplies. Often called a watering ban or hosepipe ban, it can affect:
*irrigation of lawns
* car washing
* recreation ...
for the whole supply region (which stretches from
Woodburn in the south to
Ocean Shores in the north, as well as westwards to Lismore) would be triggered if the level in Rocky Creek Dram falls to 60%, level 2 restrictions at 45% of capacity, and so on. From 2002 up to late 2019, only one period of severe water restrictions was recorded (reaching level 5 in March 2003) with one other period of lesser severity (level 1 restrictions) during the second half of 2007.
Other severe weather events
Lismore is often hit by severe storms in spring and summer. For example, there was a severe hailstorm on 9 October 2007. A tornado is an extreme rarity, but later that same month one struck nearby
Dunoon
Dunoon (; gd, Dùn Omhain) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well ...
. It was captured on video as it hit an electrical transformer station there.
Quantifying natural hazard risks
In a 2016 report prepared for Insurance Australia Group (IAG), the consulting company SGS Economics and Planning rated and mapped different Local Government Areas (LGAs) across Australia against a range of natural hazard risks, namely Tropical Cyclone, Storm, Bushfire, Earthquake and Flood. On a 0-5 scale where 0 = no exposure, 5 = extreme risk, the region which includes Lismore rated 1 for Earthquake, 2 for Storm and Bushfire, 3 for Tropical Cyclone and 4 for Flood risk (SGS report, Figures 1, 3, 5, 6, 8).
Demographics
At the , there were 28,816 people in built-up Lismore.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 7.1% of the population.
* 83.5% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 2.1%, New Zealand 1.1%, Philippines 0.6%, India 0.5% and Germany 0.4%.
* 87.7% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian at 0.5%.
* The most common responses for religion were No Religion 41.8%, Catholic 19.4% and Anglican 11.8%.
The population reached a recent peak of 29,320 at June 2012 and since has experienced a gradual decline to 28,816 in 2021.
[ The population of central Lismore in 2021 was 3,656.
]
Media
''The Northern Star
''The Northern Star'' is a daily newspaper serving Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. The newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia.
''The Northern Star'' is circulated to Lismore and surrounding communities, from Tweed Heads to the north ...
'' is an online tabloid newspaper
A tabloid is a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet. There is no standard size for this newspaper format.
Etymology
The word ''tabloid'' comes from the name given by the London-based pharmaceutical company Burroughs We ...
based in Lismore. It covers the region from Lismore, Casino, Ballina, Byron Bay, Murwillumbah, and Tweed Heads, and, like many other regional Australian newspapers owned by NewsCorp, the newspaper ceased print editions in June 2020 and became an online-only publication. The ''Northern Rivers Echo'' is a free weekly community newspaper
Community journalism is locally-oriented, professional news coverage that typically focuses on city neighborhoods, individual suburbs or small towns, rather than metropolitan, state, national or world news.
If it covers wider topics, community j ...
for Lismore, Alstonville, Wollongbar, Ballina, Casino, Nimbin and Evans Head. The ''Lismore CBD Magazine'' is a monthly e-magazine publication.
The commercial radio stations of Lismore are Triple Z (Hit Music) and 2LM 900 AM (also broadcast on 104.3FM). Both are run by Broadcast Operations Group. The community radio station is River FM 92.9 which offers an independent alternative media voice playing a diverse range of music. Other radio stations are JJJ 96.1 FM, Radio National
Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2.
History
1937: Predecessors an ...
96.9 FM, Classic FM 95.3 and ABC North Coast
ABC North Coast is an ABC Local Radio station based in Lismore and broadcasting to the Northern Rivers region in New South Wales. This includes the towns and cities of Grafton, Ballina, Casino and Murwillumbah.
The station began as 2NR in 1 ...
94.5 FM.
All major television network channels are available in Lismore and in the general Northern Rivers region. The networks and the channels they currently broadcast are listed as follows:
* Seven Regional (formerly Prime7
Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as '' CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capi ...
), 7Two, 7mate
7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...
, 7flix
7flix is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 28 February 2016.
7flix targets a variety of viewers and offers drama, comedy, reality, docusoap, and movies.
History
On 18 Decembe ...
– Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
owned channels.
* Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
(NBN Television
NBN is an Australian television station based in Newcastle, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout Nort ...
), 9Go!
9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, anim ...
, 9Gem
9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived.
History
Nine N ...
, 9Life
9Life is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Nine Entertainment. The channel airs mostly foreign lifestyle and reality programs, with the channel having a licensing agreement with Discovery Inc. (previously Scrip ...
– Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
owned channels.
* 10, 10 Peach
10 Peach is an Australian free-to-air television channel operated by Network 10. It was launched on 11 January 2011 as Eleven. It is owned by ElevenCo, which was established as a joint venture between Ten Network Holdings and CBS Studios Inter ...
, 10 Bold
10 Bold is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and events, but rebranded to One in April 2011 to ...
(NRN
NRN is a television station originating in Coffs Harbour, Australia owned by WIN Corporation as part of the WIN Television network, affiliated to Network 10. The station was formally a partnership between NRN-11 Coffs Harbour (launched 23 Januar ...
, owned by WIN Corporation
WIN Corporation is a private Australian media company, that owns assets including the WIN Television network, Crawford Productions and several local radio stations. The company is based in Wollongong, New South Wales.
History
Founding
The WIN b ...
) – Network 10
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
affiliated channels.
* ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to:
*ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or
*ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia
ABC Television or ABC ...
, ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, ABC TV Plus
ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment pr ...
, ABC Me
ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3.
Hist ...
, ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
– part of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
National Network.
* SBS Television
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...
, SBS, SBS Viceland
SBS Viceland (stylised as SBS VICELAND) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It began as SBS TWO on 1 June 2009, and was branded as SBS 2 between 2013 and 2016. On 8 April 2017, SBS ...
, SBS Food
SBS Food is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world.
History
SBS first revealed it would laun ...
, NITV
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the half-hourly nightly ''NITV News'' ...
, SBS World Movies
SBS World Movies is an Australian free-to-air television channel showing international movies. The channel features foreign language films, documentaries, independent and mainstream cinema and interviews with international movie stars. It w ...
, SBS WorldWatch
SBS WorldWatch is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel shows multilingual international news bulletins in more than 30 languages, as well as two local bulletins i ...
– Special Broadcasting Service National Network.
* Digital radio
Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services.
Types
In digital broadcasting syst ...
channels are also broadcast on the ABC Television and SBS Television networks.
Subscription television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but ...
services are provided by Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...
.
Business
The Norco Co-operative
Norco Co-operative Limited is an agricultural supply and marketing co-operative based in northern New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoo ...
has its headquarters in Lismore. The main campus of Southern Cross University
Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland.
It is ranked in the top ...
is in Lismore.
Education
* Southern Cross University
Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland.
It is ranked in the top ...
has its home campus located in Lismore, offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in disciplines including business and law, tourism, humanities and social sciences, creative and performing arts, education, environment, marine and forest sciences, engineering, health and human sciences, law and Indigenous studies. The university was established in 1994 and has campuses at Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...
, New South Wales, and Gold Coast, Queensland
The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nati ...
. The university has students from more than 80 countries around the world.
Lismore and the surrounding area is home to a number of public and private schools, including:
* Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Primary School
* St Carthage's Catholic Primary School
* Blue Hills College
* Kadina High School
* Lismore High School
, motto_translation = Let us be judged by our actions.
, established =
, type = Government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school campus
, educational_authority = NSW Department of Education
, district = Lismore; Re ...
* Lismore South Public School
* Richmond River High School
Richmond River High Campus, part of The Rivers Secondary College, is a dual-campus government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school campus, located in North Lismore, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Austral ...
* St John's College, Woodlawn
* Summerland Christian College
* Trinity Catholic College, Lismore
Trinity Catholic College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located over two adjacent campuses in the Northern Rivers region, on the northern fringe of Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
History
St Mary's Co ...
* Vistara Primary
* Living School Lismore
* Lismore Public School
Sport and recreation
The most popular sport in Lismore is Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
. The city has two clubs competing in the strong Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League
The Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL) is a rugby league competition run in the far north of New South Wales, Australia. It is run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The league formed in 2005 as an extended Group 1 Rugby L ...
Competition:
* Lismore Marist Brothers Rams
* Northern United Dirrawongs
Lismore Marist Brothers Rams won the prestigious Clayton Cup
The Clayton Cup is a trophy that was awarded by the Country Rugby League to the NSW country rugby league team with the best overall record for that season. To be eligible, the team must win the highest level of competition in its region. Usually t ...
in 1987, as the premier local rugby league team in Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
New South Wales Competitions with a 17–1 record across the season.
Lismore is a strong-hold of Association Football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
, with six clubs affiliated with Football Far North Coast
Football Far North Coast (FFNC) is the governing body controlling Association Football on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The name of the organization was changed in late 2005 from Soccer Far North Coast in line with the n ...
being located in Lismore and near surrounds:
* South Lismore – formed in 1943
* Lismore Workers – formed as Eastwood in 1949
* Lismore Thistles – formed in 1958
* Richmond Rovers – formed in 1961
* Italo Stars – formed in 1966
* Goonellabah – formed in June 1969
The Albert Park complex is home to the Far North Coast Baseball Association
The Far North Coast Baseball Association (FNCBA) is the organising body for baseball on the Far North Coast of New South Wales.
History
In 1937, Laurie Thew, an aspiring right-handed pitcher from Sydney moved to Lismore and began efforts to est ...
and Lismore is considered one of the strongest centres for Baseball in Australia.
The Lismore Swans
The AFL North Coast is an Australian rules football competition in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. Founded in 1982 as The North Coast Australian Football League it merged with the junior league in its area in 2008 and was renamed A ...
founded in 1983 represent Lismore in Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
and competes in the AFL North Coast
The AFL North Coast is an Australian rules football competition in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. Founded in 1982 as The North Coast Australian Football League it merged with the junior league in its area in 2008 and was renamed ...
competition.
Sister cities
Lismore formed a sister city relationship with the Japanese city of Yamatotakada
is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of April 1, 2017, the city had an estimated population of 66,400 and 29,713 households. The population density is 4,000 persons per km², and the total area is 16.48 km².
The city continue ...
in Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...
in 1963. The first such relationship established between Australia and Japan, it was initiated by Lismore-born Marist priest and writer Paul Glynn. Lismore is also a sister city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...
, USA and Lismore, County Waterford
Lismore () is a historic town in County Waterford, in the province of Munster, Ireland. Originally associated with Saint Mochuda of Lismore, who founded Lismore Abbey in the 7th century, the town developed around the medieval Lismore Castle. As ...
, Ireland.
Leaders
* Member of NSW State Parliament for Lismore: Janelle Saffin MP (Country Labor
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
)
* Mayor of the City of Lismore: Steve Krieg (Independent Politician
An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent.
Some politicians have political views th ...
)
* Deputy Mayor of the City of Lismore, Peter Colby (Independent Politician
An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent.
Some politicians have political views th ...
)
Notable people
Notable people from or who have lived in Lismore include:
* Lindsay Aked OAM – composer, 2011 recipient of Order of Australia Medal. Born in Lismore in 1930.
* Peter Arnison
Major General Peter Maurice Arnison, (born 21 October 1940) is a retired Australian Army officer who served as the 23rd Governor of Queensland, in office from July 1997 until July 2003. He graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in ...
– Major General, Land Commander Australia 1994–1996, Governor of Queensland 1997–2003
* Julian Assange
Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. WikiLeaks came to international attention in 2010 when it published a series of leaks provided by U.S. Army inte ...
– WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks () is an international Nonprofit organization, non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous Source (journalism), sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activism, Internet acti ...
founder, once lived in Lismore[Feain, Domini]
"WikiLeaks founder's Lismore roots,"
''Northern Star'', 29 July 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
* Andrew Barr
Andrew James Barr (born 29 April 1973) is an Australian politician who has been serving as the 7th Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory since 2014. He has been an Australian Labor Party member in the ACT Legislative Assembly sin ...
– the 7th Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
The chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usu ...
, was born in Lismore in 1973
* Lisa Casagrande
Lisa Maree Casagrande (born 29 May 1978, Lismore, New South Wales) is an Australian retired footballer. She played at the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1995 (scoring a goal) and 1999, and at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Club career
Casagran ...
– a footballer who played 64 internationals for the Matildas from 1994 to 2000 including the 1995 and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games was born in Lismore in 1978.
* Ron Casey – Sydney based radio and television personality
* Con Colleano
Con Colleano (born Cornelius Sullivan; 26 December 1899 – 13 November 1973) was an Australian tightrope walker. He was the first person to successfully attempt a forward somersault on a tightrope and became one of the most celebrated and hi ...
– a tightrope walker
Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...
, was born in Lismore in 1899
* Harold Warnock Cottee – a co-founder of Cottee's
Cottee's is an Australian food and beverage brand founded in 1927. Cottee's make a variety of products including cordial, jams, marmalades and other spreads, toppings, jellies and puddings. The company is owned by Kraft Heinz with its drinks ma ...
drinks
* Bob Ellis
Robert James Ellis (10 May 1942 – 3 April 2016) was an Australian writer, journalist, filmmaker, and political commentator. He was a student at the University of Sydney at the same time as other notable Australians including Clive James, Germa ...
– a writer, journalist, filmmaker and political commentator, was born in Lismore in 1942
* Craig Foster
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, nationality =
, other_names =
, siglum =
, citizenship =
, education =
, ...
– former Socceroo
The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated wi ...
, human rights advocate, was born in Lismore in 1969
* Paul Foster was born in Lismore in 1967.
* Peter Gahan
Peter Gahan (born 9 September 1956 in Lismore, New South Wales) is a baseball player from who played 45 games for the Australian team between 1979-1987.
He also played for the Queensland Rams from 1978-1982 and 1984-1987; and for the New South W ...
– an Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player and the only FNCBA player to have their Australian player number retired.
* Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist (; born 14 November 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer and captain of the Australia national cricket team. He was an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keep ...
– a cricketer, lived in Lismore from the age of 13
* Paul Glynn – a Marist missionary priest and writer, was born in Lismore in 1928
* Terry Greedy – a Socceroo
The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated wi ...
goalkeeper was born in Lismore
* Grinspoon
Grinspoon are an Australian Rock music, rock band from Lismore, New South Wales, formed in 1995 and fronted by Phil Jamieson on vocals and guitar with Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass guitar and Kristian Hopes on drums. Also in 1995, G ...
– a pop/rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band, originated in Lismore
* Nicholas Hamilton
Nicholas William Hamilton (born 4 May 2000) is an Australian actor, musician and singer best known for portraying Rellian in '' Captain Fantastic'' and Henry Bowers in '' It'' and ''It Chapter Two''.
Early life
Hamilton was born in Lismore, ...
– an actor mostly known for his role as Henry Bowers in It
* Lurline Hook – gold medallist diver at the 1938 British Empire Games
The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 ye ...
* Martin Kennedy – a professional rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
player
* Brian Kelly – a professional rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
player
* Andrew King – a professional rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
player
* Chris King – a professional rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
player
* David Mead – a National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
player
* Adrian Meagher
Adrian Meagher (born 2 April 1959 in Lismore, New South Wales), is an Australian baseball player. He competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( ...
– an Olympic baseball player
* Bruce Mitchell – an Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
scholar of Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
, was born in Lismore in 1920
* Maia Mitchell
Maia Mitchell (born 18 August 1993) is an Australian actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Brittany Flune in the children's television series '' Mortified'' for the Nine Network, and as Natasha Ham in the Seven Network's teen drama ...
– an actress best known for her role as Callie Adams Foster on '' The Fosters'' and '' Good Trouble''
* Margaret Olley
Margaret Hannah Olley (24 June 192326 July 2011) was an Australian painter. She was the subject of more than ninety solo exhibitions.
Early life
Margaret Olley was born in Lismore, New South Wales. She was the eldest of three children of Jo ...
– an Australian artist, was born in Lismore
* Nigel Roy – a professional rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer, was born in Lismore in 1974
* Tony Smith – a rugby league coach
* James Strong – a former CEO of Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
[Priestly, Angela]
Business Bosses, no. 9: James Strong
, ''The Power Index'', Private Media, 7 June 2012.
* Emma Tom – a writer, journalist and media commentator
* Ronald Harry Wharton (1923–1983) – a zoologist
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
and entomologist
Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...
, particularly for the CSIRO
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...
* Edwin Wilson – poet and painter, born Lismore 1942
* John McIntosh – Australian politician, member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...
In popular culture
Lismore is featured in the first verse of the original version of Geoff Mack
Albert Geoffrey McElhinney OAM (20 December 1922 – 21 July 2017), better known by his stage name Geoff Mack, was an Australian country singer, songwriter and aircraft mechanic. As a songwriter, he wrote the song "I've Been Everywhere" which w ...
's song "I've Been Everywhere
"I've Been Everywhere" is a song written by Australian country singer Geoff Mack in 1959, and popularised by Lucky Starr and Hank Snow in 1962.
The song as originally written listed Australian towns. It was later adapted by Australian singe ...
" and also mentioned in the Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by ...
song "Outside World".
See also
* Lismore Turf Club
References
External links
*
Collection of photographs of Lismore in 1995
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
*Map of Lismore, New South Wales o
OpenStreetMap
''The Northern Star'' and ''Northern Rivers Echo''
(shared website)
*Satellite map/aerial view of Lismore vi
Google Maps
{{Authority control
Cities in New South Wales
Northern Rivers
Populated places established in 1843
1843 establishments in Australia