Lismore City

About the area

Key Statistics

Location

Lismore City is located in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales, about 730 kilometres north of the Sydney CBD. Lismore City is bounded by Tweed Shire in the north, Byron Shire and Ballina Shire in the east, the Richmond Valley Council area in the south and south-east, and the Kyogle Council area in the north-west.

Included Areas

Lismore City includes the localities of Bentley (part), Bexhill, Blakebrook, Blue Knob, Boat Harbour, Booerie Creek, Booyong (part), Broadwater (part), Buckendoon, Bungabbee, Caniaba, Chilcotts Grass, Clunes (part), Coffee Camp, Coraki (part), Corndale, Dorroughby, Dungarubba, Dunoon, East Coraki (part), East Lismore, Eltham, Fernside, Georgica, Girards Hill, Goolmangar, Goonellabah, Green Forest (part), Howards Grass, Jiggi, Keerrong, Kilgin, Koonorigan, Lagoon Grass, Larnook (part), Leycester, Lindendale, Lismore, Lismore Heights, Loftville, Marom Creek (part), McKees Hill (part), McLeans Ridges (part), Modanville, Monaltrie, Mountain Top, Nightcap (part), Nimbin, North Lismore, North Woodburn, Numulgi, Pearces Creek (part), Repentance Creek, Richmond Hill, Rock Valley, Rosebank, Ruthven, South Gundurimba, South Lismore, Spring Grove (part), Stony Chute (part), Tatham (part), Terania Creek, The Channon, Tregeagle, Tucki Tucki, Tuckurimba, Tullera, Tuncester, Tuntable Creek, Whian Whian (part), Woodlawn and Wyrallah.

Land Use

Lismore City is a rural and urban area. More than 60% of the population live in the urban areas, particularly the township of Lismore and the villages of Bexhill, Clunes, Dunoon, Nimbin and Wyrallah, with numerous smaller villages and hamlets. Rural land is used largely for dairy farming, macadamia nut, coffee, tea tree, tropical fruit and sugar growing, and pig farming. The City encompasses a total land area of nearly 1,300 square kilometres.

Name Origin

Lismore is named after a place in Scotland, which was named from the Gaelic “Lios Mor”, meaning “the big fort”.

Indigenous Meaning

The original inhabitants of the Lismore area were the Bundjalung Aboriginal people.

Settlement

European settlement dates from the mid 1840s, with land used mainly for sheep grazing, particularly along the river flats. The village of Lismore was established in the mid 1850s. Land selections took place from the 1860s, with land initially used for growing maize and sugar cane. From the 1870s dairy farming and timber cutting became the main industries. Growth took place during the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, aided by expansion in the dairy farming industry and the opening of the railway line from Lismore to Byron Bay in 1894. Substantial population growth occurred from the post-war years into the 1960s. Dairy farming declined from the early 1970s, slowing population growth. The City’s population increased from about 31,000 in 1976 to about 37,000 in 1986. The population fluctuated slightly during the 1990s, rising from about 41,000 in 1991 to nearly 43,000 in 1996, and then declining to less than 42,000 in 2001. The population increased marginally from 2001, rising to nearly 43,000 in 2011.

Major Features

Major features of the City include Nightcap National Park, Whian Whian State Conservation Area, Boatharbour Nature Reserve, Bungabee Nature Reserve, Muckleewee Mountain Nature Reserve, Tuckean Nature Reserve, Tucki Tucki Nature Reserve, Wilson Nature Reserve, the Lismore CBD, Lismore Base Hospital, Northern Rivers Conservatorium, Lismore Regional Gallery, The Lismore Regional Museum, Rocky Creek Dam, Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens, Oakes Oval, Crozier Field, North Coast TAFE (Lismore Campus), Southern Cross University (Lismore Campus) and the Wilson River.

Transport

Lismore City is served by the Ballina Highway, the Bruxner Highway (Ballina Road) and Lismore Regional Airport.

Lismore City

economic profile