Lithgow City Council

About the area

Key Statistics

Location

Lithgow City is located in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, about 140 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD. Lithgow City is bounded by the Mid-Western Regional Council area and the Singleton Council area in the north, Hawkesbury City in the east, Blue Mountains City and the Oberon Council area in the south, and the Bathurst Regional Council area in the west.

Included Areas

Lithgow City includes the townships, suburbs and localities of Bell (part), Ben Bullen, Blackmans Flat, Bogee, Bowenfels, Brogans Creek (part), Capertee, Clarence, Cobar Park, Corney Town, Cullen Bullen, Dargan, Dark Corner, Doctors Gap, Dunville Loop (part), Ganbenang (part), Glen Alice, Glen Davis, Good Forest, Hampton, Hartley, Hartley Vale, Hassans Walls, Hermitage Flat, Kanimbla, Lidsdale, Lithgow, Littleton, Little Hartley, Lowther, Marrangaroo, McKellars Park, Meadow Flat (part), Morts Estate, Mount Lambie, Mount Marsden (part), Newnes, Newnes Plateau, Oaky Park, Palmers Oaky, Portland, Pottery Estate, Round Swamp (part), Running Stream (part), Rydal, Sheedys Gully, Sodwalls, South Bowenfels, South Littleton, Springvale, State Mine Gully, Sunny Corner (part), Tarana (part), Upper Nile, Upper Turon (part), Vale of Clwydd, Wallerawang, Wirraba, Wolgan Valley, Wollangambe and Wollemi (part).

Land Use

Lithgow City is a predominantly rural area, with rural-residential and residential areas in several townships, and some industrial land use. Nearly two thirds of the City is national park or state forest. Settlement is based in the township of Lithgow, the smaller townships of Portland and Wallerawang, and numerous small villages. The City encompasses a total land area of about 4,550 square kilometres. Rural land is used mainly for farming, grazing and mining (particularly coal mining).

Name Origin

Lithgow is named after William Lithgow, the first Auditor-General of New South Wales.

Indigenous Meaning

The original inhabitants of the Lithgow area were the Wiradjuri Aboriginal people.

Settlement

European settlement dates from the early 1820s, although population was minimal until the late 1860s. Substantial growth took place during the late 1800s and early 1900s, spurred by the construction of the railway line in 1869 and industrial development, particularly coal and iron mining. Expansion continued during the immediate post-war years. The population declined during the late 1950s and 1960s, largely due to a downturn in the coal mining industry. The population was relatively stable from the late 1970s through to 2011, at over 19,000 people.

Major Features

Major features of the City include Blue Mountains National Park, Gardens of Stone National Park, Turon National Park, Wollemi National Park, Glow Worm Tunnel, Capertree Valley, Evans Crown Nature Reserve, Hassans Walls Reserve, Lake Lyell, Lyell Reservoir, Lake Wallace, the Lithgow CBD, Lithgow Valley Plaza Shopping Centre, Cook Street Plaza, Eskbank House, Hartley Historic Site, Thompsons Engine House & Blast Furnace, Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum, Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway, The Glen Museum, Zig Zag Railway, Mount Piper Power Station, Mount Piper Energy Expo, Wallerawang Power Station, Lithgow Hospital, TAFE NSW Western (Lithgow College), Lithgow Golf Club, Portland Golf Club, Blast Furnace Park and various state forests.

Transport

Lithgow City is served by the Castlereagh Highway, the Great Western Highway, and the main western railway line.

Lithgow City Council

economic profile