Lockhart Shire

This article is about the local government area. For the regional town, see Lockhart, New South Wales.

Lockhart Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	35°13′S 146°43′E
Population	3,119 (2016)[1] 3,295 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	1.07726/km^2 (2.7901/sq mi)
Established	1906
Area	2,895.32 km^2 (1,117.9 sq mi)[3]
Mayor	Rodger Schirmer
Council seat	Lockhart
Region	Riverina
State electorate(s)	Wagga Wagga
Website	Lockhart Shire
LGAs around Lockhart Shire: Narrandera Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga Federation Lockhart Shire Wagga Wagga Federation Greater Hume Greater Hume

Lockhart Shire is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was created in 1906 and is an agricultural and pastoral area.

The main towns and villages in the Shire include Lockhart (950 people), The Rock (860), Yerong Creek (145), Pleasant Hills (130) and Milbrulong (35). It has 1302 rural residents.^[when?]

Galore Hill Scenic Reserve is located approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of Lockhart.^[4]

Demographics

Selected historical census data for Lockhart Shire local government area
Census year			2001[5]	2006[6]	2011[7]	2016[1]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	3,391	3,180	2,998	3,119
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			121st	119th
		% of New South Wales population	0.05%	0.05%	0.04%	0.04%
		% of Australian population	0.02%	0.02%	0.01%	0.01%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			34.6%	33.5%
		English			29.6%	27.6%
		Irish			10.4%	10.5%
		Scottish			9.2%	8.4%
		German			7.1%	6.1%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Cantonese	0.1%	0.2%	n/c	0.3%
		Vietnamese	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		French	0.1%	n/c	0.2%	0.2%
		Japanese	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.1%
		German	0.1%	0.2%	0.2%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	26.6%	29.9%	30.4%	29.3%
		No Religion, so described	n/c	7.3%	9.5%	17.3%
		Anglican	22.9%	22.0%	20.6%	16.8%
		Not stated	n/c	n/c	n/c	11.2%
		Uniting Church	15.3%	14.7%	12.2%	10.2%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$393	A$456	A$585
		% of Australian median income		84.3%	79.0%	88.4%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,034	A$1,069	A$1,408
		% of Australian median income		88.3%	72.2%	81.2%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$777	A$868	A$1,114
		% of Australian median income		75.7%	70.3%	77.5%

Proposed amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Lockhart Shire merge with the Corowa and Urana shires to form a new council with an area of 8,581 square kilometres (3,313 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 16,000.^[8] In May 2016 the Minister for Local Government announced that following an independent review of merger proposals, the Government decided that the Corowa and Urana shire councils merge to form the Federation Council; while the Lockhart Shire would not amalgamate.^[9]

Heritage listings

Lockhart Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Chinese Crossing^[10]
• The Rock railway station^[11]

Council

Current composition and election method

Lockhart Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing three councillors.^[12]

Election results

2024

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 New South Wales local elections in Riverina § Lockhart results.[edit]

2024 New South Wales local elections: Carrathool

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Independents
Formal votes
Informal votes
Total
Registered voters / turnout

2016

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2016 New South Wales local elections in Riverina § Lockhart results.[edit]

2021 New South Wales local elections: Carrathool

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Independents		1,181	100.0		10
Formal votes
Informal votes
Total
Registered voters / turnout

See also

• Riverina Water County Council

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Lockhart (A) (Local Government Area)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
2. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
3. "Lockhart Regional Profile". Riverina Regional Development Board. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
4. "Galore Hill Scenic Reserve". Lockhart Shire. 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
5. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Lockhart (A)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
6. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Lockhart (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
7. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Lockhart (A)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
8. "Merger proposal: Corowa Shire Council, Lockhart Shire Council, Urana Shire Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 8. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
9. "New Councils: Merger proposals not commencing". Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
10. "Chinese Crossing". Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
11. "The Rock Station and yard group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01268. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
12. "Lockhart Shire Council Summary of Candidate First Preference Votes: C Ward", NSW Electoral Commission, 17 September 2016, retrieved 7 November 2016