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, the first Auditor-General of New South Wales.
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
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.
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 Although it was superseded in 1910 by more modern engineering methods, including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 (now demolished)
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%.
Lithgow was also the location of an alleged assassination attempt on the life of
Queen Elizabeth II in 1970.[22]
Climate
Lithgow features a
subtropical highland climate (
Köppen climate classificationCfb) with 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, although snowfall is rarely in significant quantities due to the
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 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
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:
EB Games – video game entertainment software retailer
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
Other attractions include the Hartley Historic Site, Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum, State Mine Heritage Park 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 (Lithgow), 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.
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.
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.
William Sandford (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.
^Doyle, John (9 July 2006).
"The Songlines Conversations". Big Ideas (transcript). Interviewed by Gregg Borschmann. ABC Radio National. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
^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.
^Williams, Brett (December 2009).
"To live and breathe politics"(PDF). Police Journal. Police Association of South Australia: 26–27, 47. Retrieved 18 May 2012.