Lithgow is a city in the
Central Tablelands of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, 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
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an English List of explorers, explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps bes ...
in honour of
William Lithgow.
Lithgow is on the
Great Western Highway
Great Western Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst, on the state's Central Tablelands. The highway also has local road names between the ...
, about west of
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, or via the old mountain route,
Bells Line of Road, from
Windsor. At June 2021 Lithgow had an urban population of 11,197.
[ Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.]
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.
Location
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
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. 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, 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
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. 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.
The town situated in the centre of a
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
mining district and there is one coal-powered power station nearby. It is the site of
Australia's first commercially viable steel mill, the ruins of which are open for inspection at "Blast Furnace Park". Due to the abundance of coal and relative proximity to
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, 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 th
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%.
Heritage listings
Lithgow has a number of heritage-listed sites, including the following listed on the
New South Wales State Heritage Register:
* Bent Street:
Lithgow Valley Colliery and Pottery Site
* Brewery Lane:
Lithgow Zig Zag
* Gas Works Lane:
Lithgow Coal Stage Signal Box
* Inch Street:
Lithgow Blast Furnace
* 70 Inch Street:
Eskbank House
* Jenolan Caves Road:
McKanes Falls Bridge
* Main West Line 156.334 km, James Street:
Lithgow Underbridge
* Main Western railway:
Eskbank railway station
* Main Western railway:
Ten Tunnels Deviation
* Railway Parade:
Lithgow railway station
* Top Points Zig Zag railway:
Cooerwull railway footbridge
In addition, the following sites were listed on the (now defunct)
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...
:
* 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
The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...
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
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
in 1970.
Climate
Lithgow features a moderate
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''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 appreciable snowfall, though mostly insignificant in quantity due to the winter
rain shadow
A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side.
Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...
brought about by the ranges to the west of the city. One major event was the late-season snowfall in October 2014, where of snow fell.
Iron and steel industry
In 1848,
iron smelting
Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron, copper, silver, tin, lead and zinc ...
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
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...
was being smelted. The only iron being cast was by
William Sandford
William Sandford (26 September 1841 – 29 May 1932) was an English-Australian ironmaster, who is widely regarded as the father of the modern iron and steel industry in Australia.
Early life in England
Sandford was born at Torrington, De ...
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 has one major
shopping centre
A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...
, Lithgow Valley Plaza. With over 500 parking spaces, the plaza has two anchor stores and over 30 specialty retailers.
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 cafes.
Tourist attractions

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.

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.
The most popular tourist event in Lithgow is
Ironfest, an annual cultural heritage event that attracts over 10,000 visitors. 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.

The Lithgow Greyhound Racing Club was established in 1928 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 Drama and
10 Peach Comedy.
There is a free fortnightly paper – The Central West Village Voice. The ''
Lithgow Mercury'' is a newspaper published weekly.
Transport

Local bus services are operated by
Lithgow Buslines.
Lithgow railway station on the
Main Western railway line is the terminus for
NSW TrainLink Blue Mountains Line services from
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. As well as being a calling point for the ''
Bathurst Bullet,
Central West Express'' and ''
Outback Xplorer'' services to
Bathurst,
Dubbo and
Broken Hill
Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...
, it is the terminus for road coach services from
Orange,
Grenfell,
Dubbo,
Nyngan,
Parkes and
Coonabarabran.
In 1983, the
State Rail Authority opened the Lithgow Locomotive Maintenance Centre at the eastern end of Lithgow. It is today operated by
Pacific National.
Southern Shorthaul Railroad has a maintenance facility at the
Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway.
Notable residents
*
Robert Bartlett – rugby league and lawn bowls player.
*
Andrew Brown – the first European settler of the Lithgow Valley and a prominent industrialist and philanthropist.
*
Albert Burdus – rugby league player
*
Cardinal Edward Clancy (1923–2014) – the seventh
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Australia (1983 to 2001) was born in Lithgow.
*
Joseph Cook (1860–1947) – English Australian politician, resident of Lithgow and member for Hartley, and Parramatta.
Sixth Prime Minister of Australia.
*
John Doylea comedian of the duo
Roy & HG, was born in Lithgow.
*
Wayde Egan – rugby league player for the
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
and the
New Zealand Warriors
The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...
.
*
Roy Heffernan – professional Wrestler, Tag Team Champions The Fabulous Kangaroos, Mr Australia was born in Lithgow 1925.
*
Nancy Hill – basketball player.
*
Charles Hoskins – industrialist significant in the development of the iron and steel industry, lived at the former home of William Sandford, from 1908 to 1912.
*
Marjorie Jackson-Nelson –
athlete and Olympic gold medalist (''"The Lithgow Flash"'') and later,
Governor of South Australia
The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the monarch, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-general of Aust ...
, was raised in Lithgow.
*
Nina Eva Vida Jones (1882–1966) – socialite and motor racing driver, married to John Alexander Stammers Jones (1870–1933) – brewer of Lithgow.
*
Leon Morris (1914–2006) – Theologian and New Testament Scholar
*
Laurie Oakes – journalist, was educated at Lithgow High School, being dux in 1961.
*
David Palmersquash player, was born in Lithgow.
*
Ben Reynolds – rugby league player.
*
Marty Roebucka former rugby union
Wallabies fullback, was born in Lithgow.
*
William Sandford
William Sandford (26 September 1841 – 29 May 1932) was an English-Australian ironmaster, who is widely regarded as the father of the modern iron and steel industry in Australia.
Early life in England
Sandford was born at Torrington, De ...
(1841–1932) – industrialist and pioneer of the iron and steel industry, lived at 'Eskroy Park', now part of the clubhouse of the Lithgow Golf Club, from 1890 to 1908.
*
Jordan Shankscomedian and
YouTuber
A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
*
William John Truscott (1886–1966) – Australian Rules footballer for the East Fremantle Football Club from 1913 to 1927.
References
External links
*
Lithgow Tourism InformationVISITNSW.com - Lithgow* Map of Lithgow, New South Wales o
OpenStreetMap
{{Authority control
Cities in New South Wales
Communities in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales)
Mining towns in New South Wales
Central Tablelands