Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
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Lismore is a city located in the
Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most northeasterly Regions of New South Wales, region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence Ri ...
region of
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia and the main population centre in the
City of Lismore The City of Lismore is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The seat of the local government area is Lismore, New South Wales, Lismore, a major regional centre of th ...
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
, it is also a regional centre in the
Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most northeasterly Regions of New South Wales, region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence Ri ...
region of the state. Lismore is north of
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
and south of
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
. It is situated on a low
floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
on the banks of the
Wilsons River Wilsons River, a perennial river and part of the Richmond River catchment, is situated in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The river rises on the eastern slopes of Jerusalem Mountain within the Ni ...
near the latter's junction with Leycester Creek, both tributaries of the
Richmond River The Richmond River is a river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may ...
which enters the Pacific Ocean at Ballina, to the east. The original settlement initially developed as a grazing property in the 1840s, then became a timber and agricultural town and inland port based around substantial river traffic, which prior to the development of the road and rail networks was the principal means of transportation in the region. Use of the river for transport declined and then ceased around the mid-twentieth century, however by that time Lismore (which was elevated to city status in 1946) had become well established as the largest urban centre in the region, providing its surrounding area with a range of services. The city is also located on the
Bruxner Highway Bruxner Highway, and its former western alignment as Bruxner Way, are a state highway and rural road respectively, located in New South Wales, Australia. The route forms an east–west link across the Northern Tablelands in northern New South ...
which crosses the Wilsons River at Lismore, and was formerly a stop on the Casino-Murwillumbah railway line. It is the home of one of the three campuses of
Southern Cross University Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland. In 2019, it was ranke ...
. With its low-lying position adjacent to the Wilsons River, which can rise rapidly following periods of high rainfall in its catchment, the centre of Lismore is susceptible to flooding, although it is partly protected by a system of levees and flood gates. Noteworthy recent floods occurred in 1974, 2017 in the aftermath of
Cyclone Debbie Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Queensland since Cyclone Marcia, Marcia in 2014–15 Australian region cyclone season, 2015, and was the costliest tropical cyclone in Australia since Cyclone ...
and the worst ever in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
. A budget was announced for additional flood mitigation works in November 2018. At the , the urban population of Lismore was 28,816.


History


Pre-colonial history

The city of Lismore lies in the
Bundjalung people The Bundjalung people, also spelled Bunjalung, Badjalang and Bandjalang, are Aboriginal Australians who are the original custodians of a region from around Grafton, New South Wales, Grafton in northern coastal New South Wales to Beaudesert, Que ...
's nation area. However, the actual area of the Bundjalung people from Evans Head is currently under examination, as well as the actual origin of the name Bundjalung. It has been suggested that the Aboriginal people called the area Tuckurimbah meaning "glutton."


Early colonial history

The British history of the city begins in : a pastoral run covering an area of was taken up by Captain Dumaresq at this time covering the Lismore area and was stocked with sheep from the
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
area. Ward Stephens took up the run in the same year, but the subtropical climate was unsuited for sheep grazing, so it was eventually abandoned. In January 1845, William and Jane Wilson took it over. The Wilsons were Scottish immigrants, who arrived in New South Wales in May 1833. Mrs. Wilson named the property after the small island of Lismore, one of the
Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides ( ; ) is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which experience a mild oceanic climate. The Inner Hebrides compri ...
in
Loch Linnhe Loch Linnhe ( ) is a sea loch in the Highland Council area, in the west of Scotland. The part upstream of Corran is known in Gaelic as (the black pool, originally known as Loch Abar), and downstream as (the salty pool). The name ''Linnhe ...
,
Argyleshire Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area now forms part of ...
. In 1855, the surveyor Frederick Peppercorne was instructed by Sir Thomas Mitchell to determine a site for a township in the area. Peppercorne submitted his map of the proposed village reserve on 16 February 1856. The chosen site was William Wilson's homestead paddock and the area was proclaimed the "Town of Lismore" in the NSW Government Gazette on 1 May 1856. The township was soon settled and its post office was opened on 1 October 1859. The Wilson family then established a new homestead at Monaltrie, some 6 km south of Lismore, in 1861 which still survives and has been stated to be "Lismore's oldest home", although the Lismore "Northern Star" has elsewhere given that distinction to a timber-built home "Lochiel" adjacent to Arthur Park in North Lismore, stated to date from 1860 and originally occupied by Mr and Mrs John Jones, and later a private hospital and local maternity hospital between 1911 and 1917. From the 1840s onwards, timber cutters moved up the Richmond River from its Ballina entrance felling timber from the extensive, previously untouched subtropical rainforest covering the region known as the "
Big Scrub The Big Scrub was one of the largest areas (75,000 ha) of lowland subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia. It was intensively cleared for agricultural use in the 19th century (1801–1900) by settlers. By the late 19th century less than 1 ...
"; their primary interest was the Australian red cedar, ''
Toona ciliata ''Toona ciliata'' is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout South Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Names It is commonly known as the red cedar (a name shared by other trees), tone, toon or toona (als ...
'', known locally as "red gold", which was highly prized for its appearance, ease of working, and pest resistance. At that time there was no substantial network of roads so rivers were the primary means of access and bulk transportation. Despite its low-lying position and propensity for flooding (which was to cause problems in subsequent times), Lismore developed as an inland port owing to its location at the highest navigable point for large cargo-carrying vessels on the north arm of the Richmond, later renamed the Wilsons, River. For the second half of the 19th century the primary industries of the Lismore region continued to be cattle grazing and timber, supporting a growing economy and population and the development of secondary industries which included ship building, transportation, saw milling, tallow manufacturing and more. As the Big Scrub was cleared, it was steadily replaced with new pasture which formed the basis of a flourishing dairy industry, and many processing plants ("butter factories") and dairy cooperatives were established throughout the region. Infrastructure development in Lismore continued, including the presence of three schools by 1879, a new Government Wharf in 1880, two new bridges over the river in 1884 and 1885, the railway station (1894) and a new post office building (1898); by the end of that century Lismore had a population of over 4,500, although had suffered from some ravages including numerous floods plus a period of drought in the last half of the 1890s.


20th century and beyond

At the beginning of the 20th century, river navigation was still the mainstay of transportation in Lismore, the principal operator being the
North Coast Steam Navigation Company The North Coast Steam Navigation Company was a shipping company that operated in Australia, formed as the Grafton Steam Navigation Company in 1855. The company was later renamed the Clarence & Richmond River Steam Navigation Company before bein ...
. The dairy industry was performing strongly, employing hundreds of small family-owned operations, the Lismore region becoming the centre for dairy production from the surrounding farms and the richest dairy district in Australia. The
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
had opened in 1894 as the starting point of the
Murwillumbah railway line The Murwillumbah railway line is a mostly disused railway line in far north-eastern Northern Rivers New South Wales, Australia. The line ran from Casino to Lismore, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby and Murwillumbah, opening in 1894. It is one of only t ...
which, starting at that time in Lismore, ran to the coast at
Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah'') is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia (in Bundjalung Country). It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjac ...
(from which steamers could be caught to
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
) and then on to
Murwillumbah Murwillumbah ( ) is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River. Sitting on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley, Murwillumbah is 848&nbs ...
, and subsequently in 1903 inland to
Casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
, but was not connected to any national network. However, as the century progressed, development of a better road network and the advance of motor transportation made inroads into the long-term success of both the river and rail traffic which eventually declined: river traffic was also affected by requisitioning of ships during the second world war and the largest shipping line operating on the two arms of the Richmond River, the North Coast Steam Navigation Company, went into liquidation in 1954; the railway line lasted until 2004 when it was closed on purely economic grounds after advising that it was "unprofitable" to continue providing services to Murwillumbah, putting an end to 110 years of rail transport in the region. Meanwhile, economic development in Lismore continued, including construction of a new School of Arts (1907, destroyed by fire in 1932), building of churches for four denominations, opening of a new Norco (dairy farmers' cooperative) factory in 1931, and other utilities.


Transport in Lismore

Lismore Airport had ceased commercial passenger operations after
Rex Airlines Rex Airlines Pty Ltd is an Australian regional airline based in Mascot, New South Wales. It operates scheduled regional services using turboprop aircraft. Between 2021 and 2024, Rex also operated jet services between selected major Australian ...
discontinued its service between Sydney and Lismore, ending its longstanding operation with the final flight operating in June 2022. Air travel is now served by
Ballina Byron Gateway Airport Ballina Byron Gateway Airport is a regional airport located at Ballina, New South Wales, Australia. It is owned and operated by Ballina Shire Council. It opened in October 1986. The airport serves Ballina, Lismore, Byron Bay, and the Northe ...
which is located approximately 34 km east of Lismore. Regular coach services towards Casino and Brisbane are run by Premier Motor Service, and NSW Trainlink. Ballina Buslines and Northern Rivers Buslines run regular cash only services towards Byron Bay, Kyogle, Ballina, Goonellebah, and Nimbin. A 2013 government report found that 90% of trips in the Northern Rivers region were by car, with 1% by public transport. This was attributed to a small and distributed population.


City status

Lismore was officially gazetted as a city on 9 September 1946, with grant of an official coat of arms on 29 January 1947. In the early 1950s, civic pride was boosted by a visit from the newly crowned Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
with her consort who visited the city in February 1954, staying at the city's Gollan Hotel. Television came to the city in 1956 and a local channel commenced broadcast in 1962 in the suburb of Goonellabah, which had been incorporated into the city of Lismore four years earlier. In 1969, the aerodrome at South Lismore received its licence from the Department of Civil Aviation, becoming the basis of the future Lismore Airport. The 1960s were something of a boom time in development for Lismore, although the dairy industry was starting to decline and by the end of that decade and into the 1970s, many farmers turned to raising beef cattle instead, or simply let their land condition lapse. In 1963, a new bridge (the Ballina St. bridge) was opened to carry the Bruxner Highway road traffic across the Wilsons River; previously all traffic between the east and west banks of the river has to travel via the narrower, upstream Fawcett Bridge, originally constructed in 1894, before even motor traffic had come to the area. Later, especially following the 1973 "alternative society"
Aquarius Festival The Nimbin Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students. It was the fourth in a biannual series of festivals, first organised by the National Union of Australian University Studen ...
, which was held in the nearby village of Nimbin, the area began to attract so-called "alternative lifestylers" who were able to buy ex-dairying land at reasonable prices and re-invigorate the area with a range of pursuits and values of interest to a new generation, including an interest in owner-building of residences, experiments in communal living, environmental awareness and various artistic and creative activities, leading to badging of the area around Lismore as the "rainbow region". Meanwhile, Lismore has also become a regional centre for higher education: the original Lismore Teachers College (1970 onwards) becoming first the Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education in 1973, then an associate member of the
University of New England University of New England may refer to: * University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 26,000 students * University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 6,000 students See also * New England Coll ...
, and finally (together with UNE-Coffs Harbour Centre), forming the Lismore Campus of the new
Southern Cross University Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland. In 2019, it was ranke ...
(established 1 January 1994). In addition, tourism has become an important contributor to the region's economy as well as the development of new agricultural products such as macadamias, avocado and stone fruit, pecans, and boutique coffee plantations, which are well suited to the rich volcanic soils, subtropical climate and moderately high rainfall of the area. As traditional agricultural and manufacturing sectors have declined somewhat, so employment in the service sector has expanded. At the 2016 census, within Lismore City and the surrounding region (43,135 persons) the top employment sectors reported were Health Care and Social Assistance (4,534 persons), Retail Trade (2,491 persons), Education and Training (2,448 persons) and Accommodation and Food Services (1,297 persons), followed by Public Administration and Safety (1,204 persons), Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (1,018 persons), Manufacturing (1,000 persons) and Construction (967 persons).


Architecture and amenities

Surviving buildings of historical interest within Lismore City include the old Council Chambers (1928) in Molesworth Street designed by William Gilroy, now home to the Richmond River Historical Society Museum with a collection of objects, documents and photographs relevant to the historical development of the area, including Aboriginal artifacts; the Art Nouveau post office (1897), designed by W.L. Vernon; the original Australian Joint Stock Bank (1891), built in the Italianate style, now the T & G Building; the classical revival courthouse (1883) in Zadoc Street; the Lismore Memorial Baths (1928), constructed as a memorial to local persons who died in World War I; and various churches including St Andrew's Anglican Church (1904), St Carthage's Roman Catholic Cathedral (1892–1907), the Uniting (formerly Methodist) Church (1908–09), the Church of Christ (1923), and St Paul's Presbyterian Church (1907–08). Adjacent to St. Carthage's Cathedral, Presentation House, a convent opened for the Roman Catholic
Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The sisters of the congregation use th ...
in 1907 and used by the nuns until 2004, has been refurbished and now serves as the Catholic Schools Office for the Diocese of Lismore. The commercial city centre retains many shopfronts ranging in date from the late nineteenth to mid twentieth centuries with little modern intrusion; a feature of interest is the presence of numerous arcades, for example the 1920s Star Court Arcade, which includes the 1921 Star Court Theatre, which allow shoppers to continue to shop in comfort in the presence of subtropical downpours as well as extremes of heat or cold. Many homes in the city are built in the "high set" style otherwise common to much of
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
(refer accompanying photographs) with living accommodation on the first floor leaving the ground floor unenclosed by structural walls and open to cooling breezes beneath the floorboards in the summer. With the advent of
air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...
in more recent years, such understories have frequently been walled in retrospectively and used for other purposes such as garages, play areas (rumpus rooms) or additional accommodation; in commercial areas they may also be adapted for shop fronts at street/pedestrian level. Most houses also feature covered
verandah A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...
s wrapping around part or all of the house, to provide both shade from hot sun as needed, and an outdoor area protected from the elements for activities during wet weather. The city encompasses a range of parks and gardens, some bordering the river, as well as Rotary Park, a patch of regenerated rainforest close to the centre of the city, and a 27 ha remnant of the "Big Scrub" in the form of the Wilson Nature Reserve (see below).


Heritage and other listings

Lismore has three sites listed on the
New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...
(for images see "Gallery"), namely: * Colemans Bridge over Leycester Creek * Lismore railway station group * Lismore railway underbridges An additional items are listed by the local council on Local Environmental Plans under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979, including: * The 1883 classical revival Court House, Zadoc Street * The Commonwealth Bank building, Molesworth Street * Dalley Street Conservation Area * The former Government Savings Bank, Woodlark Street * Lismore Fire Station, Molesworth Street * Memorial Baths, Molesworth Street * The 1898 Post and Telegraph Office building A full listing of heritage sites in Lismore can be generated via a search for suburb/town = "Lismore" via the
New South Wales Heritage Database New South Wales Heritage Database, or State Heritage Inventory, is an online database of information about historic sites in New South Wales, Australia with statutory heritage listings. Contents It holds the information about sites listed on t ...
.


Rainforest

Lismore and surrounding towns were once part of the rainforest referred to as the "
Big Scrub The Big Scrub was one of the largest areas (75,000 ha) of lowland subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia. It was intensively cleared for agricultural use in the 19th century (1801–1900) by settlers. By the late 19th century less than 1 ...
", of which less than one percent remains following British settlement. A section of this rainforest is viewable in the grounds of the
Southern Cross University Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland. In 2019, it was ranke ...
and at Wilsons Nature Reserve on Wyrallah Road.


Geography

Lismore is located on the
Bruxner Highway Bruxner Highway, and its former western alignment as Bruxner Way, are a state highway and rural road respectively, located in New South Wales, Australia. The route forms an east–west link across the Northern Tablelands in northern New South ...
and it lies at the confluence of the
Wilsons River Wilsons River, a perennial river and part of the Richmond River catchment, is situated in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The river rises on the eastern slopes of Jerusalem Mountain within the Ni ...
(a tributary of the
Richmond River The Richmond River is a river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may ...
) and Leycester Creek, The state
capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...
of
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
is located to the south by
highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...
.
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, the state capital of
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, is to the north. Lismore's
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
is located from the eastern coast, and southwest of
Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah'') is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia (in Bundjalung Country). It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjac ...
. The coastal town of Ballina is away. There are a number of rainforest patches in the area, remnants of the Big Scrub. These are preserved today, with a small pocket known as Boatharbour Reserve just east of town on the
Bangalow Bangalow is a small town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia in Byron Shire. The town is north of Sydney and south of Brisbane, just off the Pacific Highway. It is on the Lands of the Bundjalung people. The town's ...
road. The nearest large and publicly accessible national park is
Nightcap National Park The Nightcap National Park is a national park situated within the Nightcap Range in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The park was created in April 1983 and is situated north of . The park was established following cam ...
.


Climate and weather


General characteristics

Lismore experiences a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
with mild to warm temperatures all year round and ample rainfall, with a long term yearly average of 1,343 mm. Temperatures in summer range between and . The subtropical climate combined with geographical features means the urban area is unusually humid when compared with surrounding areas. Humidity levels often reach 100% in summer. Lismore has 109.6 clear days annually.


Floods

Although no other major environmental hazards generally affect the area, Lismore is renowned for frequent floods from
Wilsons River Wilsons River, a perennial river and part of the Richmond River catchment, is situated in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The river rises on the eastern slopes of Jerusalem Mountain within the Ni ...
and
Leycester Creek The Leycester Creek, formerly known as Duck Creek, is a perennial stream of the Richmond River catchment, is located in Northern Rivers region in the state of New South Wales, Australia. History The name of the creek originates from early settle ...
. Prior to the 2022 event which reached an unprecedented , the worst such floods were in 1954 and 1974, when waters rose to a height of , with a number of others recorded as exceeding the stated height of the levee wall protection at . A history of Lismore flood events from 1870 to 2022 has been published by Lismore council. In 1999 a government-funded scheme to protect the CBD and South Lismore from a 1-in-10-year flood event was approved. This proposal would mean that most of the smaller floods would not enter the central area of Lismore and substantially improve the time available for the evacuation of residents and the business community in larger floods. Nonetheless, around 3000 residents of Lismore were evacuated after floods affected much of the area on 30 June 2005, many being temporarily housed on the campus of Southern Cross University. However, the new levee that had been completed two weeks prior limited damage and stopped the water reaching the Central Business District. In the aftermath of
Cyclone Debbie Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Queensland since Cyclone Marcia, Marcia in 2014–15 Australian region cyclone season, 2015, and was the costliest tropical cyclone in Australia since Cyclone ...
in March 2017, Lismore was again badly affected by flooding of up to through all CBD businesses.
Wilsons River Wilsons River, a perennial river and part of the Richmond River catchment, is situated in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The river rises on the eastern slopes of Jerusalem Mountain within the Ni ...
reached and the levee was overtopped for the first time since its completion. A modelled projection of the maximum flood extent, plus an animation, of this flood event as affecting Lismore is available on the "BigData Earth" Company website. A budget of $8.2 million for additional flood mitigation works was announced in November 2018. In February 2022, Lismore and other parts of Northern New South Wales and
South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...
were flooded to an unprecedented degree, resulting in serious devastation to many buildings in the CBD in addition to adjacent low lying residential areas which will take "years to rebuild". The Wilsons River in Lismore reached 14.37 metres at its peak, the largest flood since modern records began. One year on from the disaster, the process of reconstruction was still ongoing.


Cyclones

At a latitude approaching 29°S, Lismore is out of range for most Australian region tropical cyclones which typically inhabit the region north of 25°S, however exceptions to this general pattern have occurred, notably
Cyclone Zoe Severe Tropical Cyclone Zoe was the second-most intense tropical cyclone on record within the Southern Hemisphere and was the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2002. The system was first noted on December 23, 2002, as a tropical depressi ...
which directly affected the region in March 1974, and heavy rainfall in March 2017 associated with ex-
Cyclone Debbie Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Queensland since Cyclone Marcia, Marcia in 2014–15 Australian region cyclone season, 2015, and was the costliest tropical cyclone in Australia since Cyclone ...
which had crossed the coast near
Airlie Beach Airlie Beach is a coastal locality and resort town in the Whitsunday Region of Queensland, Australia. In the , Airlie Beach had a population of 1,312 people. Geography Airlie Beach is one of many departure points for the Great Barrier Reef. ...
in Queensland, over 1,200 km to the north, but then travelled south as a Tropical Low before passing over populous areas of South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers and then moving out to sea once more. Earlier, before the start of the current official naming method for tropical cyclones in Australia, Lismore was affected by "The Great Gold Coast Cyclone" (informal title) which crossed the coast at
Coolangatta Coolangatta is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is the Gold Coast's southernmost suburb and it borders New South Wales. In the , Coolangatta had a population of 6,491 people. History Coolangatta is situat ...
on the Gold Coast south of Brisbane, in February 1954. To a lesser degree, Lismore was also affected by rain events associated with Tropical Cyclone Beatrice in January 1959, Tropical Cyclone Elaine in March 1967, Tropical Cyclones Daisy and Wendy in February 1972, Tropical Cyclone Emily in April the same year, Tropical Cyclone Wanda in January 1974, Tropical Cyclone Colin in February 1976, Ex-Tropical Cyclone Lance in April 1984, Ex-Tropical Cyclone Elsie in March 1987, Tropical Cyclone Nancy in February 1990, and Ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald in January 2013 followed by an unnamed, cyclone strength Low in February the same year; for full details refer australiasevereweather.com. In March 2025,
Cyclone Alfred Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred was a powerful, long-lived, and erratic tropical cyclone that brought severe effects to South East Queensland and the New South Wales North Coast. As the seventh named storm, and sixth severe tropical cyclone of t ...
was expected to be the first tropical Cyclone to directly threaten
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
for 50 years, with associated high winds and rainfall anticipated to affect the Northern Rivers region (including Lismore) from around 7 March. In the event, Cyclone Alfred's main effects were felt further north than Lismore, although the city did experience high rainfall which caused road closures plus power outages to thousands of customers across northern New South Wales, as well as moderate flooding in the Lismore central business district with the Wilsons River rising to 9.31 meters, just below the major flood level, before subsiding.


Drought and water security

A high degree of year-to-year variation in rainfall is typical of the Northern Rivers region. Periods of reduced rainfall are often associated with
El Niño EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
events and increased rainfall with
La Niña LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
events. For example, the region experienced a significant reduction in rainfall between late 2002 and mid-2003 and again in 2007 in association with persistent and recurrent El Niño events. In common with other areas in Australia, the Lismore region can experience drought but in general, the Northern Rivers region is less drought prone than many of its neighbours, especially those west of the
Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...
(see example map for the drought-affected month of September 201
here
. The municipal water supply is provided by
Rous County Rous County is one of the 141 cadastral divisions of New South Wales. It is located at the north-east tip of the state. It is bordered on the north by the border with Queensland and on the south by the Richmond River. It contains Lismore, Byron ...
Council via
Rocky Creek Dam Rocky Creek Dam is a minor embankment dam, rock fill clay core embankment dam across the Rocky Creek, located upstream of Lismore, New South Wales, Lismore in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's main purpose is to ...
, which is situated in a high rainfall area within the
Whian Whian State Conservation Area Whian Whian State Conservation Area is one of the protected areas of New South Wales, operated by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.water restrictions An outdoor water-use restriction is a ban or other lesser restrictions put into effect that restricts the outdoor use of water supplies. Often called a watering ban or hosepipe ban, it can affect: *irrigation of lawns * car washing *recreatio ...
for the whole supply region (which stretches from Woodburn in the south to Ocean Shores in the north, as well as westwards to Lismore) would be triggered if the level in Rocky Creek Dram falls to 60%, level 2 restrictions at 45% of capacity, and so on. From 2002 up to late 2019, only one period of severe water restrictions was recorded (reaching level 5 in March 2003) with one other period of lesser severity (level 1 restrictions) during the second half of 2007.


Other severe weather events

Lismore is often hit by severe storms in spring and summer. For example, there was a severe hailstorm on 9 October 2007. A tornado is an extreme rarity, but later that same month one struck nearby
Dunoon Dunoon (; ) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the cou ...
. It was captured on video as it hit an electrical transformer station there.


Quantifying natural hazard risks

In a 2016 report prepared for Insurance Australia Group (IAG), the consulting company SGS Economics and Planning rated and mapped different Local Government Areas (LGAs) across Australia against a range of natural hazard risks, namely Tropical Cyclone, Storm, Bushfire, Earthquake and Flood. On a 0-5 scale where 0 = no exposure, 5 = extreme risk, the region which includes Lismore rated 1 for Earthquake, 2 for Storm and Bushfire, 3 for Tropical Cyclone and 4 for Flood risk (SGS report, Figures 1, 3, 5, 6, 8).


Demographics

At the , there were 28,816 people in built-up Lismore. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 7.1% of the population. * 83.5% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 2.1%, New Zealand 1.1%, Philippines 0.6%, India 0.5% and Germany 0.4%. * 87.7% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian at 0.5%. * The most common responses for religion were No Religion 41.8%, Catholic 19.4% and Anglican 11.8%. The population reached a recent peak of 29,320 at June 2012 and since has experienced a gradual decline to 28,816 in 2021. The population of central Lismore in 2021 was 3,656.


Media

''
The Northern Star ''The Northern Star'' is a daily newspaper serving Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. The newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia. ''The Northern Star'' is circulated to Lismore and surrounding communities, from Tweed Heads to the no ...
'' is an online
tabloid newspaper A tabloid is a newspaper format characterized by its compact size, smaller than a broadsheet. The term originates from the 19th century, when the London-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. used the term to de ...
based in Lismore. It covers the region from Lismore, Casino, Ballina, Byron Bay, Murwillumbah, and Tweed Heads, and, like many other regional Australian newspapers owned by NewsCorp, the newspaper ceased print editions in June 2020 and became an online-only publication. The ''Northern Rivers Echo'' was a free weekly
community newspaper Community journalism is locally-oriented, professional news coverage that typically focuses on city neighborhoods, individual suburbs or small towns, rather than metropolitan, state, national or world news. If it covers wider topics, community ...
for Lismore, Alstonville, Wollongbar, Ballina, Casino, Nimbin and Evans Head. The ''Lismore CBD Magazine'' is a monthly e-magazine publication. The commercial radio stations of Lismore are
Triple Z Triple Z (call sign: 2ZZZ) is a commercial radio station covering New South Wales' Far North Coast, and is part of the Broadcast Operations Group. The station targets the 18–39 market with a mostly top 40 hits format, though in networking ho ...
(Hit Music) and 2LM 900 AM (also broadcast on 104.3FM) and both are run by Broadcast Operations Group. The community radio stations are River FM 92.9 which offers an independent alternative media voice playing a diverse range of music and
ABC North Coast ABC North Coast is an ABC Local Radio station based in Lismore and broadcasting to the Northern Rivers region in New South Wales. This includes the towns and cities of Grafton, Ballina, Byron Bay, Casino and Murwillumbah. Even though Tweed ...
94.5 FM. Lismore receives TV channels from SBS and
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
and the regional affiliates of
Seven 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...
,
Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
and
WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...
’s 10 Northern NSW.


Business

The
Norco Co-operative Norco Co-operative Limited is an agricultural supply and marketing co-operative based in the Northern Rivers New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1895, it sells products and services locally and internationally. Its 200+ dairy farm memb ...
has its headquarters in Lismore. The main campus of
Southern Cross University Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland. In 2019, it was ranke ...
is in Lismore.


Education

*
Southern Cross University Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland. In 2019, it was ranke ...
has its home campus located in Lismore, offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in disciplines including business and law, tourism, humanities and social sciences, creative and performing arts, education, environment, marine and forest sciences, engineering, health and human sciences, law and Indigenous studies. The university was established in 1994 and has campuses at
Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...
, New South Wales, and
Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately south-southeast of the centre of the list of Australian capital cities, state capital, Brisbane. It is ...
. The university has students from more than 80 countries around the world. Lismore and the surrounding area is home to a number of public and private schools, including: * Albert Park Public School * Blue Hills College * Kadina High Campus * Lismore High Campus * Lismore Public School * Lismore South Public School * Living School Lismore * Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Primary School * Richmond River High Campus * St Carthage's Catholic Primary School *
St John's College, Woodlawn St John's College, Woodlawn is a Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in the rural area of "Woodlawn" on the outskirts of Lismore, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The school, commonly abbrev ...
* Summerland Christian College *
Trinity Catholic College, Lismore Trinity Catholic College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located over two adjacent campuses in the Northern Rivers region, on the northern fringe of Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. History St Mary's Co ...
* Vistara Primary School


Sport and recreation

Lismore has two rugby league clubs competing in the
Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League The Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL) is a rugby league competition run in the far north of New South Wales, Australia. It is run under the auspices of the New South Wales Country Rugby League, Country Rugby League. The league formed ...
Competition: * Lismore Marist Brothers Rams * Northern United Dirrawongs Lismore Marist Brothers Rams won the prestigious
Clayton Cup The Clayton Cup is a trophy that was awarded by the New South Wales Country Rugby League, Country Rugby League to the NSW country rugby league team with the best overall record for that season. To be eligible, the team must win the highest level o ...
in 1987, as the premier local rugby league team in
Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
New South Wales Competitions with a 17–1 record across the season. Lismore is a strong-hold of
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
, with six clubs affiliated with
Football Far North Coast Football Far North Coast (FFNC) is the governing body controlling association football on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The name of the organisation was changed in late 2005 from Soccer Far North Coast in line with the nat ...
being located in Lismore and near surrounds: * South Lismore Celtic – formed in 1946 * Lismore Workers – formed as Eastwood in 1949 * Lismore Thistles – formed in 1958 * Richmond Rovers – formed in 1961 * Italo Stars – formed in 1966, Defunct in 2023 * Goonellabah – formed in June 1969 The Albert Park complex is home to the Far North Coast Baseball Association and Lismore is considered one of the strongest centres for Baseball in Australia. The
Lismore Swans The AFL North Coast is a park Australian rules football competition in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. Founded in 1982 as The North Coast Australian Football League it merged with the junior league in its area in 2008 and was rena ...
founded in 1983 represent Lismore in
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
and competes in the AFL North Coast competition.
Lismore Speedway Lismore Speedway (also known as Castrol Edge Lismore Speedway) is a dirt track racing venue located at Lismore Showground Lismore, New South Wales. It hosts a variety of motor sports and other events throughout the year. The track is often re ...
is a Speedway located at the Lismore Showgrounds. The track regularly hosts National and State titles and featured national events.


Sister cities

Lismore formed a sister city relationship with the Japanese city of Yamatotakada in
Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...
in 1963. The first such relationship established between Australia and Japan, it was initiated by Lismore-born Marist priest and writer
Paul Glynn Paul Glynn (born 1928) is a Society of Mary (Marists), Marist missionary priest and writer from Australia. He is the author of several books, including ''The Song of Nagasaki'' (1988) and ''The Smile of the Ragpicker'' (1992), both best-sellers ...
. Lismore is also a sister city of
Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire ( ; lit. "clear water") is a city in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Eau Claire and Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat, seat of Eau Claire County. It is the List of citie ...
, USA and
Lismore, County Waterford Lismore () is a historic town in County Waterford, in the province of Munster, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally associated with Mo Chutu of Lismore, Saint Mochuda of Lismore, who founded Lismore Abbey in the 6th century, the town develop ...
, Ireland.


Leaders

* Member of NSW State Parliament for Lismore: Janelle Saffin MP (
Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
) * Mayor of the City of Lismore: Steve Krieg (
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
) * Deputy Mayor of the City of Lismore, Jeri Hall (
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
)


Notable people

Notable people from or who have lived in Lismore include: *
Peter Arnison Major general (Australia), Major General Peter Maurice Arnison, (born 21 October 1940) is a retired Australian Army officer who served as the 23rd Governor of Queensland, in office from July 1997 until July 2003. He graduated from the Royal M ...
– Major General, Land Commander Australia 1994–1996, Governor of Queensland 1997–2003 *
Julian Assange Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. He came to international attention in 2010 after WikiLeaks published a series of News leak, leaks from Chels ...
WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is a non-profit media organisation and publisher of leaked documents. It is funded by donations and media partnerships. It has published classified documents and other media provided by anonymous sources. It was founded in 2006 by ...
founder, once lived in LismoreFeain, Domini
"WikiLeaks founder's Lismore roots,"
''Northern Star'', 29 July 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
*
Andrew Barr Andrew James Barr (born 29 April 1973) is an Australian politician who has been serving as the 7th and current chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory since 2014 and the treasurer of the Australian Capital Territory since 2011. He ...
– the 7th
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory The chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assemb ...
, was born in Lismore in 1973 *
Lisa Casagrande Lisa Maree Casagrande (born 29 May 1978) is an Australian retired footballer. She played at the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1995 (scoring a goal) and 1999, and at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Club career Casagrande played as a forward for t ...
– a footballer who played 64 internationals for the
Matildas The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) s ...
from 1994 to 2000. * Ron Casey – Sydney based radio and television personality *
Con Colleano Con Colleano (born Cornelius Sullivan; 26 December 1899 – 13 November 1973) was an Australian tightrope walker. He was the first person to successfully attempt a forward somersault on a tightrope and became one of the most celebrated and hi ...
– a
tightrope walker Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...
, was born in Lismore in 1899 *
Harold Warnock Cottee Harold Warnock Cottee was an Australian businessman and philanthropist who was instrumental in making the food and drink company Cottee's Ltd one of the most successful companies in Australia at the time, which was eventually sold in 1966 fo ...
– a co-founder of
Cottee's Cottee's is an Australian food and beverage brand founded in 1927. Cottee's make a variety of products including cordial, jams, marmalades and other spreads, toppings, jellies and puddings. The company is owned by Kraft Heinz with its drinks m ...
drinks *
Bob Ellis Robert James Ellis (10 May 1942 – 3 April 2016) was an Australian journalist, screenwriter, playwright, filmmaker, and political commentator. He lived in Sydney with author and screenwriter Anne Brooksbank; they had three children. Early ye ...
– a writer, journalist, filmmaker and political commentator, was born in Lismore in 1942 *
Craig Foster use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , nationality = , other_names = , siglum = , citizenship = , education = , al ...
– former
Socceroo The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliate ...
, human rights advocate, was born in Lismore in 1969 * Paul Foster was born in Lismore in 1967. * Peter Gahan – an
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player and the only FNCBA player to have their Australian player number retired. *
Adam Gilchrist Adam Craig Gilchrist (; born 14 November 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer and List of Australia national cricket captains, captain of the Australia national cricket team. He was an attacking left-h ...
– a cricketer, lived in Lismore from the age of 13 *
Paul Glynn Paul Glynn (born 1928) is a Society of Mary (Marists), Marist missionary priest and writer from Australia. He is the author of several books, including ''The Song of Nagasaki'' (1988) and ''The Smile of the Ragpicker'' (1992), both best-sellers ...
– a Marist missionary priest and writer, was born in Lismore in 1928 * Terry Greedy – a
Socceroo The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliate ...
goalkeeper was born in Lismore *
Grinspoon Grinspoon are an Australian rock band from Lismore, New South Wales, which formed in 1995 by Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass guitar, Kristian Hopes on drums and frontman Phil Jamieson on vocals and guitar. Also in that year, Grinspoon ...
– a
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
/
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band, originated in Lismore *
Nicholas Hamilton Nicholas William Hamilton (born 4 May 2000) is an Australian actor and musician. He is best known for portraying Rellian in '' Captain Fantastic'' (2016), Henry Bowers in '' It Chapter One'' (2017) and '' Chapter Two'' (2019), and superhero Mav ...
– an actor mostly known for his role as Henry Bowers in It * Lurline Hook – gold medallist diver at the
1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games were the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 yea ...
* Martin Kennedy
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
player * Brian Kelly
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
player *
Alofiana Khan-Pereira Alofiana Khan-Pereira (born 1 November 2001) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League (NRL). Background Khan-Pereira was born in Lismore, New South Wales, t ...
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
player * Andrew King
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
player * Chris King
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
player * John McIntosh – Australian politician, member of the
New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. Along with the New South Wales Legislative As ...
* David Mead – a
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
player * Adrian Meagher – an Olympic baseball player * Bruce Mitchell – an
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
scholar of
Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
, was born in Lismore in 1920 *
Maia Mitchell Maia McCall Mitchell (born 18 August 1993) is an Australian actress and singer. Known for her work in film and television, she has received various accolades, including nominations for eight Teen Choice Awards. Born and raised in Lismore, ...
– an actress best known for her role as Callie Adams Foster on '' The Fosters'' and '' Good Trouble'' *
Pat Morton Philip Henry (Pat) Morton (28 October 191018 January 1999) was an Australian businessman and politician. Born in Lismore in Northern New South Wales to a prominent political family and educated at Lismore High School, Morton left school at ...
– a businessman and politician who was born and attended school in Lismore *
Margaret Olley Margaret Hannah Olley (24 June 192326 July 2011) was an Australian painter. She held over ninety solo exhibitions during her lifetime. Early life Margaret Olley was born in Lismore, New South Wales. She was the eldest of three children of J ...
– an Australian artist, was born in Lismore *
Nigel Roy Nigel Roy is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a and in the s in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for Illawarra, North Sydney, Northern Eagles and the London Broncos. Early life Roy was born 15 March 1974 ...
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
footballer, was born in Lismore in 1974 * Tony Smith – a rugby league coach * James Strong – a former CEO of
Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...
Priestly, Angela
Business Bosses, no. 9: James Strong
, ''The Power Index'', Private Media, 7 June 2012.
* Emma Tom – a writer, journalist and media commentator * Edwin Wilson – poet and painter, born Lismore 1942


See also

*
Cubawee Tuncester, formerly known as Tunstall, is a locality within the City of Lismore local government area in New South Wales, Australia. It lies around outside the main town of Lismore. It is known for its historical self-managed Aboriginal reserv ...
, an historic self-managed Aboriginal reserve near Tuncester, near Lismore *
Lismore Turf Club Lismore Turf Club is a horse racing venue in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. The racecourse holds numerous Thoroughbred racehorse meetings each year. The feature event is the annual Lismore Cup, which is held on the last Thursday of Septembe ...


References


External links

*
Collection of photographs of Lismore in 1995
National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
*Map of Lismore, New South Wales o
OpenStreetMap''The Northern Star'' and ''Northern Rivers Echo''
(shared website) *Satellite map/aerial view of Lismore vi
Google MapsOpening day / first train from the Lismore Railway Station, 1894
(this source says early 1900s, in error cf. official Council display board) *Some fine nineteenth century photographs and associated text regarding early Lismore are reproduced a

(see also other associated pages on the site), compiled by local resident Cathy Jensen in honour of her relative Archibald Currie of Lismore NSW (1827-1916), an important early resident and one time alderman of the town. *Sydney Morning Herald, June 2022
Anatomy of the Lismore disaster
- analysis of the February 2022 flood event in Lismore
St Carthage's Cathedral and the adjacent BP service station, submerged at the height of the February 2022 flood
- image from the Lismore City News (from story at https://www.lismorecitynews.com.au/story/7755970/why-we-flooded-over-half-a-years-rain-fell-in-a-week-says-bom/)


Gallery

File:Wilsons River and Riverside Park, Lismore.jpg, Wilsons River and Riverside Park, Lismore, photographed in 2023 File:Wilsons River and Colemans Point, Lismore.jpg, Wilsons River and Coleman's Point, Lismore, photographed in 2023 File:Lismore Post Office (2711754621).jpg, The Art Nouveau style Post and Telegraph Office at Lismore (1898), photographed circa 1904 File:Richmond River, Lismore (2901450510).jpg, Richmond (now Wilsons) River, Lismore - historical photograph with river traffic (date not known) File:Woodlark street lismore 1800's postcard.jpg, Woodlark Street, Lismore, 1800s (B&W postcard, colourised) File:Lismore Molesworth-Woodlark streets junction.jpg, Junction of Molesworth and Woodlark Streets, Lismore, October 2023 File:Joint Stock Bank Building Lismore.jpg, Joint Stock Bank Building, Lismore, photographed in 2023 File:Lismore Winsome Hotel, 2023.jpg, The 1925 Winsome Hotel in Lismore, NSW, photographed in 2023 File:Riverview House Lismore 2023.jpg, Riverview House in Lismore, NSW, an early stone built merchant's residence in Molesworth Street, photographed in 2023 File:Number 6 Zadoc St Lismore - front.jpg, The original 1893 manse (rectory) for the Methodist Church in Zadoc Street, currently (2023) the Lismore office for the NSW Trustee & Guardian File:Magellan Street, Lismore in 2023.jpg, Early morning in Magellan Street, Lismore, NSW, in 2023 File:Fawcetts Bridge Lismore in 2023.jpg, Fawcett Bridge in Lismore, NSW in 2023 File:Wilsons River 5 Jun 2016-1.jpg, Wilsons River in moderate flood at Lismore, NSW, 5 June 2016 (1) File:Wilsons River 5 Jun 2016-2.jpg, Wilsons River in moderate flood at Lismore, NSW, 5 June 2016 (2) File:South Lismore near Lismore railway station.jpg, South Lismore near Lismore railway station File:MHNSW - StAC NRS-17420-2-39-1269 003.jpg, Lismore Railway station, early 1900s File:Railway station Lismore (1).jpg, Lismore Railway station in 2023 (1) File:Railway station Lismore (2).jpg, Lismore Railway station in 2023 (2) File:Railway station Lismore (3).jpg, Lismore Railway station in 2023 (3) File:Railway viaduct Union St. Lismore.jpg, Historic railway viaduct, Union St., Lismore File:Railway viaduct Terania St. Lismore.jpg, Historic railway viaduct, Terania St., Lismore File:Railway viaduct Terania St. Lismore (2).jpg, Historic railway viaduct, Terania St., Lismore (another view) File:Colemans Bridge over Leycester Creek.jpg, Colemans Bridge over Leycester Creek, Lismore File:Colemans Bridge over Leycester Creek (2).jpg, Colemans Bridge over Leycester Creek, Lismore (road view) File:Ballina St. road bridge panorama.jpg, Ballina St. road bridge at Lismore, carrying the Bruxner Highway over the Wilsons River File:Leycester-ck-bridge-2023-1.jpg, The heritage listed Leycester Creek railway bridge, from the Union Street end File:Lismore Two Bridges Park Dec 2023.jpg, View from Two Bridges Park in Lismore, New South Wales, December 2023 - panorama showing Colemans and Fawcett Bridges, with Winsome Hotel between {{Authority control Cities in New South Wales Populated places established in 1843 1843 establishments in Australia