Lockhart, New South Wales

Summary

Lockhart is a town in the Riverina Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the location of the Lockhart Shire Council offices. At the 2016 census, Lockhart had a population of 818 people.[1]

Lockhart
New South Wales
Looking east in the main street of Lockhart
Lockhart is located in New South Wales
Lockhart
Lockhart
Coordinates35°13′0″S 146°43′0″E / 35.21667°S 146.71667°E / -35.21667; 146.71667
Population818 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2656
Elevation157 m (515 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Lockhart Shire
CountyUrana
State electorate(s)Wagga Wagga
Federal division(s)Riverina

History edit

Lockhart was named after C.G.N. Lockhart – a commissioner for Crown Lands in the Murrumbidgee River area in the 1850s. It was originally known as Greens Gunyah, and renamed Lockhart in 1897. Greens Gunyah was so named because a Mr Green was the earliest settler and had a grog shop on the UranaWagga Wagga stagecoach route.[2]

Ferriers Post Office opened on 16 May 1882 and was renamed Lockhart in 1898.[3]

In 1915, the Lockhart – Roll of Honour was unveiled, with 86 locals enlisted in National Service.[4]

A railway station served the town between 1901 and 1975, it has now been restored and converted into a New South Wales Rural Fire Service station. Seasonal grain trains service silos in the town.[5]

Lockhart formerly had a rugby league team who competed in the Group 13 Rugby League competition. The club wore blue and red jerseys.

Tim Fischer, National Party leader (1990–1999) and 10th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia was born here.

Attractions edit

Water Tower Mural edit

In October 2018 a water tower mural was opened in a park in the main street of Lockhart.[6][7] It was created by artists Scott Nagy and Janne Birkner (Krimsone) in just three weeks and depicts a cascading waterfall surrounded by local flora and fauna. The mural covers a surface of over 600 square metres.[8] Since the tower was painted, visitor numbers are up by close to 37 per cent.[9]

Spirit of the Land Festival edit

Lockhart is home to the annual Spirit of the Land Festival, a celebration to the resilience of those who live and work on the land. The festival, held on the second weekend in October, includes a competition for sculptures created from recycled farm materials. Many of the entries from past years are found in the park around the water tower mural and in other locations on the Lockhart Sculpture and Heritage trail.[10][11]

Notable Former Residents edit

Gallery edit

See also edit

External links edit

Spirit of the Land website

References edit

  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Lockhart (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 January 2020.  
  2. ^ "Lockhart". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 October 2009.  
  3. ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  4. ^ "1915 - Lockhart & National Service". The Lockhart Review and Oaklands Advertiser (NSW). 6 October 1915. p. 2. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  5. ^ Lockhart station. NSWrail.net, accessed 6 January 2010.
  6. ^ Ellicott, John (13 September 2018). "Stunning mural attracts worldwide focus on Lockhart". The Land. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Official Launch - Lockhart Water Tower Mural & Walk of Fame - Lockhart Tourism". visitlockhartshire.com.au. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Lockhart Water Tower Mural". www.visitnsw.com. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  9. ^ Calver, Olivia (7 June 2019). "Water tower art trending in NSW". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  10. ^ Lockhart Shire Council, Self Guided Sculpture and Heritage Walk brochure (2016). "Historic Lockhart: Sculpture and Heritage Trail" (PDF). Lockhart Shire Council. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Visit Lockhart Shire". visitlockhartshire.com.au. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
Preceding station Former Services Following station
Long Park
towards Oaklands
Oaklands Line Napier
towards The Rock