Lockhart, New South Wales

Town in New South Wales, Australia
35°13′0″S 146°43′0″E / 35.21667°S 146.71667°E / -35.21667; 146.71667Population818 (2016 census)[1]Postcode(s)2656Elevation157 m (515 ft)Location
  • 521 km (324 mi) from Sydney
  • 405 km (252 mi) from Melbourne
  • 63 km (39 mi) from Wagga Wagga
LGA(s)Lockhart ShireCountyUranaState electorate(s)Wagga WaggaFederal division(s)Riverina

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]

History

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 Urana–Wagga 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

Water Tower Mural

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

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

Gallery

  • Entrance sign for Lockhart, New South Wales, Australia
    Entrance sign for Lockhart, New South Wales, Australia
  • Greens Gunyah Museum
    Greens Gunyah Museum
  • Rusty Cockatoo at Spirit of the Land Festival
    Rusty Cockatoo at Spirit of the Land Festival
  • Emu Family Sculpture at Spirit of the Land Festival
    Emu Family Sculpture at Spirit of the Land Festival
  • Horse Power Statue at Spirit of the Land Festival
    Horse Power Statue at Spirit of the Land Festival
  • Good Old Days at Spirit of the Land Festival
    Good Old Days at Spirit of the Land Festival
  • Bonnie Dog at Spirit of the Land Festival
    Bonnie Dog at Spirit of the Land Festival
  • Tower Mural
    Tower Mural

See also

External links

Spirit of the Land website

References

  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Lockhart (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 January 2020. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Lockhart". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 October 2009. Edit this at Wikidata
  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.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lockhart, New South Wales.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lockhart.
Preceding station Former Services Following station
Long Park
towards Oaklands
 Oaklands Line Napier
towards The Rock
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