Lockhart Shire

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

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.

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/km2 (2.7901/sq mi)
Established	1906
Area	2,895.32 km2 (1,117.9 sq mi)[3]
Mayor	Cr Peter Sharp
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

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

2024 New South Wales local elections: Lockhart

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Independents		1,271	100		9
Formal votes			1,271	94.8
Informal votes			70	5.2
Total			1,341	100
Registered voters / turnout			2,372	[a]56.5

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

2016

2021 New South Wales local elections: Carrathool

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Independents		1,181	100.0		9
Formal votes
Informal votes
Total
Registered voters / turnout

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

See also

• Riverina Water County Council

Notes

1. As A Ward did not hold elections, about one third of voters did not vote. Overall turnout among the other two wards was 83.3%