Lismore has a population of about 350. It was surveyed and
named in the 1850's. Before that, it was a rough grog shanty and a few
houses near the crossing of Brown's Water Holes and first named after the
creek.
It grew through the years to become a prosperous service
town for the surrounding fine wool producing properties. Its peak of population
was probably in the 1950's when many of the large properties of the area
were divided up to make farms for returned soldiers.
Since the late sixties, Lismore has slowly become more
of a retirement town, though it still has a good primary school and other
facilities for younger residents. For its size, the town has a remarkable
array of services and recreation and leisure activities. Combined with
Derrinallum, ten kilometers West along the highway, we have just about
anything anyone might want. Camperdown, 40 km to the South along a fast
road, has the major services of dentists, hospital, nursing home, solicitors
and accountants (those indispensable parts of life).
Lismore is in the Northern half of the Shire of Corangamite
(administered from Camperdown) and it is roughly an hour from just about
everything. An hour to the coast at Port Campbell. An hour to the Pyrenees
Ranges, the wine producing area to our North. An hour to the provincial
cities of Geelong, Ballarat and Warrnambool. Slightly more to Hamilton
to the West and slightly less to Colac to the South-East.
But, here we feel that, rather than being distant from
everything, we are at the centre of everything. The following is a brief
list of what is available here, in addition to peace and quiet, a good
sense of community, plenty of space for kids to run around in and fresh
air. There are no muggings or bag snatchings. If there is a drug problem,
we haven't heard about it. But there are downsides to living in a relative
paradise like this; The native birds can be a bit noisy in the Summer mornings
and it's sometimes hard to work out which of the lakes might be the best
fishing on a particular day. People stop and talk to you here. Life can
get pretty laid back.
On to the list of services:
Primary School
Police Station
Ambulance
Community Health Centre
Newsagent/Bank/PO
Chemist
Prebyterian Church
Two Hairdressers
Meals On Wheels
Hardware/Stock Agent
Kndergarten
Garage
Catholic Church
Elderly Citizens
Supermarket
Church Youth Group
Estate Agent
Hotel
Caravan Park
Playgroup
Fire Brigade
Home Maintenance Service
Mobile Library
Taxi
Home Help
Light Engineering
District Nurses
Regular Newsletter
At Derrinallum:
High School Hardware Plumber Weekly
Vet ANZ Bank Library Uniting
Church
The sports and leisure facilities and activities:
Swimming Pool
Golf
Croquet
Lawn Bowls
Fishing
Football
Adult Education
Squash
Rowing
Bird Watching
Cards
Choir
Water Skiing
Tennis
Sailing
Craft Groups
Cricket
Gardening
Community and Volunteer activities and Groups:
Meals on Wheels CFA SES Red Cross Lions
Club Ambulance Progress
Association Senior Citizens
Landcare & the many auxiliaries, committees and groups which run
the Community Centre, the Recreation Reserve, the other sports facilities
& maintain the school ground.
Real estate in and around Lismore is affordable. Weatherboard cottages
start around $20,000.
1950's-60's brick houses from $40,000 and up. Town blocks are available
and there are other larger blocks from 1 acre to 16 acres just east and
west of the town.
Builders, plumbers, electricians, painters, building drafting services
are all available within the area. Farms and farmlets are also available.
Rainfall is about 24" (600 mm)
