Lockhart is a town in the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

Region of

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is the location of the Lockhart Shire Council offices. At the 2016 census, Lockhart had a population of 818 people.

History

Lockhart was named after C.G.N. Lockhart - a commissioner for Crown Lands in the

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

area in the 1850s. It was originally known as Greens Gunyah, and renamed Lockhart in 1897. Greens Gunyah was so named because a Mr Green was the earliest settler and had a grog shop on the

Urana Urana is a small town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Federation Council local government area. Urana is located between Lockhart and Jerilderie, about southwest of the state capital, Sydney. To the wes ...

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

stagecoach route. Ferriers Post Office opened on 16 May 1882 and was renamed Lockhart in 1898. In 1915, the Lockhart - Roll of Honour was unveiled, with 86 locals enlisted in National Service. A railway station served the town between 1901 and 1975, it has now been restored and converted into a

New South Wales Rural Fire Service The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales. The NSW RFS is responsible for fire protection to approximately 95% of the land area of New South ...

station. Seasonal grain trains service silos in the town.

Tim Fischer Timothy Andrew Fischer (3 May 1946 – 22 August 2019) was an Australian politician and diplomat who served as leader of the National Party from 1990 to 1999. He was Deputy Prime Minister in the Howard Government from 1996 to 1999. Fischer ...

, National Party leader (1990–1999) and 11th

Deputy Prime Minister of Australia The deputy prime minister of Australia is the deputy chief executive and the second highest ranking officer of the Australian Government. The office of deputy prime minister was officially created as a ministerial portfolio in 1968, althoug ...

was born here.

Water Tower Mural

In October 2018 a water tower

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

was opened in a park in the main street of Lockhart. It was created by artists Scott Nagy and Janne Birkner (Krimsone) in just three weeks and depicts a cascading waterfall surrounded by local flora and fauna. The mural covers a surface of over 600 square metres. Since the tower was painted, visitor numbers are up by close to 37 per cent.

Spirit of the Land Festival

Lockhart is home to the annual Spirit of the Land Festival, a celebration to the resilience of those who live and work on the land. The festival includes a competition for sculptures created from

recycled Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

farm materials. Many of the entries from past years are found in the park around the water tower mural and in other locations on the Lockhart Sculpture and Heritage trail.

Notable Former Residents

(Australian politician) *

Bill Peach William Norman Peach (15 May 1935 – 27 August 2013) known as Bill Peach, was an Australian television journalist who hosted the ABC current affairs program ''This Day Tonight'' from 1967 to 1975. Early life and education Peach was born in ...

(Australian journalist)

Gallery

File:Lockhart entrance sign.jpg, Entrance sign for Lockhart, New South Wales, Australia File:GreensGunyah(Lockhart)Museum.jpg, Greens Gunyah Museum File:Rusty Cockatoo.jpg, Rusty Cockatoo at Spirit of the Land Festival File:Emu Family Sculpture.jpg, Emu Family Sculpture at Spirit of the Land Festival File:Horse Power.jpg, Horse Power Statue at Spirit of the Land Festival File:Good Old Days.jpg, Good Old Days at Spirit of the Land Festival File:Bonnie Dog.jpg, Bonnie Dog at Spirit of the Land Festival File:Bonnie Dog and tower mural.jpg, Tower Mural

References

{{authority control Towns in the Riverina Towns in New South Wales Lockhart Shire