Lithgow, New South Wales

Lithgow New South Wales
Blast Furnace Park, Lithgow
Population:	11,023 [1]
Postcode:	2790
Elevation:	950 m (3,117 ft) [2]
Location:	150 km (93 mi) from Sydney
LGA:	City of Lithgow
County:	Cook
Parish:	Lett
State District:	Bathurst
Federal Division:	Macquarie (formerly Calare)
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Rainfall 18.3 °C 65 °F 6.3 °C 43 °F 860.1 mm 33.9 in

Lithgow is situated in New South Wales, Australia and is the centre of the local political division City of Lithgow. 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 located on the Great Western Highway, about 150 km (93 mi) or two hours drive west of Sydney, or via the old mountain route "Bell's Line of Road" from Windsor. Surrounded by the wonders of World Heritage listed National Parks, Lithgow features tranquil vistas and serene landscapes. Wollemi National Park is home to the Jurassic aged tree the Wollemi Pine, which is secluded in the canyons of the park.

Contents 1 Location 2 History 3 Tourism Attractions in Lithgow 4 The iron and steel industry at Lithgow 5 Notable Lithgow Residents 6 External links 7 References

Location

The city sits on the western edge of the sandstone 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 Clywydd and Oakey Park, a famous iron and steel village, of which fiery night scenes have been depicted in many paintings, as well as copious amounts of bushland and state forest. The next city to the West is Bathurst, 60 km (37 mi) away. Lithgow is in the NSW State electorate of Bathurst, while federally it is part of electorate of Macquarie. Lithgow benefits from being the western terminus for the electric section of the Main Western railway line from Sydney, and of CityRail's intercity Blue Mountains railway line. Lithgow is also a part of the iconic zig-zag railroad.

History

The mountainous terrain of the Blue Mountains and the expense of building long tunnels required the construction of the Zig Zag Railway 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 Although it was superseded in 1910 by more modern engineering methods, including ten tunnels, the Zig Zag remains a popular tourist attraction.^[3] The town is the centre of a coal mining district and there are two coal-powered power stations 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, Lithgow is the site of one of the largest power stations in NSW, the Mount Piper and Wallerawang Power Station. It is operated by Delta Electricity.

Tourism Attractions in Lithgow

Lithgow is surrounded by National Parks. Places to visit include the Zig Zag Railway, Glow Worm Tunnel, Newnes and the Capertee Valley, the second largest canyon in the world. Other places include the Hartley Historic Site, Small Arms Factory Museum, State Mine Heritage Park and the Eskbank House Museum.

The iron and steel industry at Lithgow

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.

Notable Lithgow Residents

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• Andrew Brown, first European settler of the Lithgow Valley as well as prominent industrialist and philanthropist. Ran a large agricultural property in Lithgow, built the first mill in the region and was the first individual to exploit Lithgow's vast coal reserves. He also built a number of Presbyterian churches and schools in the region as well as founding the St Andrew's College at the University of Sydney [1].
• Marjorie Jackson, Olympic Gold Medalist and Governor of South Australia, was brought up in Lithgow and at the peak of her athletic career was famously known as "The Lithgow Flash".
• Marty Roebuck, the former Australian Rugby Union Test Fullback, was born in Lithgow.
• The town has also been made famous by the comedy/current affairs team of Roy and HG. Roy (John Doyle) was born in Lithgow and tells frequent stories of when he played for the Rugby League Football Club, the Lithgow Shamrocks, under coach Grassy Grannell. The Shamrocks were a junior and senior rugby league team until the mid-1990s, when the juniors merged with another local junior league side, the Lithgow Workmen's Club, to form the Lithgow Storm. The Lithgow Workmen's Club Rugby League Football Club(the "Wolves") is Lithgow's only extant rugby league side at senior level.

Lithgow at dusk

St Helens, Lithgow

Methven, Lithgow

External links

• Lithgow Tourism Information
• Biography of Marjorie Jackson at the Governor of South Australia Web Site

References

Coordinates: 33°29′S 150°09′E / -33.483, 150.15

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