Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. It is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State. The city and its surrounding towns were once part of the rainforest referred to as "The Big Scrub," of which less than one percent remains following the European settlement. A section of this rainforest is viewable in the grounds of the Southern Cross University and at Wilsons Nature Reserve on Wyrallah Road. These are preserved today, with a small remnant known as Boatharbour Reserve just east of town on the Bangalow road. The nearest large and publicly accessible national park is Nightcap National Park.

Lismore is located on the Bruxner Highway and it lies at the confluence of the Wilsons River (a tributary of the Richmond River) and Leycester Creek, The state capital city of Sydney is located 764 km (475 mi) to the south by highway. Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, is 200 kilometres (124 mi) to the north.

Accommodation in Lismore's university residences

The Southern Cross University (SCU) is the university of Lismore. Some of the university residences offer casual visitor accommodations during the vacation periods. It should be understood that these residences and colleges are designed primarily for students and not children or adults expecting a high level of luxury. However, with this in mind, they do meet a level of comfort that we expect most visitors to be happy with, and we will welcome any feedback where this is not the case.

Getting to Lismore

Lismore's central business district is located 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the eastern coast, and 46 kilometres (29 mi) southwest of Byron Bay. The coastal town of Ballina is nearby.

The town of Lismore resides in the Aboriginal Bundjalung Nation area. Evidence suggests aboriginal people arrived from the north of Australia around 8,000 years ago, however, the actual area of the Bundjalung people from Evans Head is currently under examination, as well as the actual origin of the name Bundjalung. It has been suggested that the Aboriginal people called the area Tuckurimbah meaning "glutton."

European History of Lismore begins in around 1843. A pastoral run covering an area of 93 km² was taken up by Captain Dumaresq at this time covering the Lismore area. The run was stocked with sheep from the New England area. Ward Stephens took up the run in the same year, but the subtropical climate was unsuited for sheep grazing, so the run was eventually abandoned. In 1845, William and Jane Wilson took over the run. The Wilsons were Scottish, and they arrived in New South Wales in 1833. One hypothesis is that Jane Wilson was responsible for naming the location for Lismore, Scotland, where the couple had honeymooned. Another theory is that it was named after Lismore, Ireland because of the similarity in scenery.

In 1855, the surveyor Frederick Peppercorne was instructed by Sir Thomas Mitchell to determine a site for a township in the area. Peppercorne submitted his map of the proposed village reserve in February 1856. The chosen site was William Wilson's homestead paddock, and the area was proclaimed the "Town of Lismore" in the NSW Government Gazette in May 1856. Lismore was incorporated as a municipality on in 1879, and was proclaimed a so-called "city" in 1946.