Lismore, Australia

Lismore is a sub-tropical city and Local Government Area in the far north of New South Wales, Australia. It is a major regional centre on the far north coast of the state. The current Mayor of Lismore is Councillor Merv King.

Geography

Lismore is located at latitude 28.81° south of the equator, and Longitude 153.274° on the Bruxner Highway and the Wilson River, which is a tributary of the Richmond River. The State capital Sydney is 860 Km south by road. Brisbane, the State capital of Queensland is within a 2.5 hours drive to the north. According to the June 2001 Census (First Release) by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, The Local Government Area encompasses 1288.4144km², and extends from North Woodburn in the south, to Nimbin in the north - and from Clunes in the east to Goolmangar in the west. Lismore central business district is located within 30 minutes drive from the eastern coast, and within 45 minutes of Byron Bay. The coastal city of Ballina is nearby. There are a number of rainforests in the area, remnants of what was once known as the Big Scrub. These are preserved today, the nearest one being Nightcap National Park.

Demographics

As per the Census of 2001, the City population is 43,388 people. The Shire of Lismore Local Government Area serves a population of 134,950 people. A population decrease of 0.5% has occurred between 1996 and 2001. 2.6% of the total population are of Indigenous origin (Australian Aboriginal), totaling 1422 individuals. The median age is 36 years, one year above the state average of 35 years of age.

• Urban population: 65% of people live in the urban areas of Lismore. The Goonellabah area has the largest urban population with 13,706 people or 32.72% of the total Local Government Area and 50.74% of the total urban population.

• Rural population:5% of people live in the surrounding villages of Lismore. Modanville is the largest village population with 467 people. 30% of people live in rural areas.

• Education: Lismore has 7,340 school age children. 26 Government Primary schools are present in the area, 9 Non-Government Primary Schools (3 of which include Secondary School), 3 Government Secondary schools and 2 Non-Government Secondary Schools.

• Older persons: 12.8% of the population is over 65 years of age. The total number of persons over this age is 5,356. This represents an increase of 319 people, or 1.2% growth since 1996.

• Youth: 19.9% of the population is between 12 & 24 years of age. The total number of persons in this age range is 8,314. This represents a decrease of 1,012 people or -2.28% since 1996.

• Ethnicity: 35,943 people in the area are of Australian origin. This represents a total of 85.8% of people in the entire area. In the urban areas, those born overseas are primarily from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Italy. In the rural area, overseas origins are mainly from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Germany.

In the urban areas, the three most common languages spoken at home other than English were: Italian, Chinese languages and German. In the rural areas the three most common languages spoken at home other than English were Italian, German and Spanish.

Business

The four largest industries by employment are; retail sector, health care, Southern Cross University, education and agriculture, The median individual income in 2001 was $236 AUD

History

The city of Lismore resides in the Aboriginal Bundjalung Nation. Evidence indicates the Bundjalung people arrived from the north of Australia around 8,000 years ago. European History of Lismore begins in c.1843. A pastoral run covering an area of 93 km² was taken up by Captain Dumaresq at this time covering the Lismore area. The run was stocked with sheep from the New England area. Ward Stephens took up the run in the same year, but the sub-tropical climate was unsuited to sheep grazing, so the run was eventually abandoned. In January 1845, William & Jane Wilson took over the run. Jane Wilson was responsible for naming it after Lismore, Scotland, where the couple honeymooned. The Wilsons were Scottish themselves, and arrived in NSW in May 1883. In 1855, a surveyor by the name of Frederick Peppercorne was instructed by Sir Thomas Mitchell to determine a site for a township in the area. The chosen site was William Wilson's homestead paddock, and the area was proclaimed the "Town of Lismore" in the NSW Government Gazette on the 1 May 1856.

Climate

Lismore experiences mild to warm temperatures all year round, with an ample supply of rainfall. Temperatures in the Summer range from anywhere between 27ºC and 40ºC. The sub-tropical climate means the City is unusually humid, especially in the summer season. Although no major environmental hazards affect the area, Lismore is renowned for the occasional flood. The worst of which occurred in 1974, rising to a water height of 12.1 Metres. Following the last flood in 2001, Bob Carr the Premier of New South Wales initiated a flood levee programme to curb the problem. Nonetheless, 6,000 residents of Lismore were evacuated after floods affected much of the area on June 30, 2005. Many were temporarily housed on the campus of Southern Cross University.

Sister cities

Lismore formed sister-city relationship with Yamatotakada City, Nara Prefecture, Japan in 1963. It was the first such relationship established between Australia and Japan.