The locality is about 27 kilometres (17 mi) north-west of the town of St Helens.

A post office of that name was established in 1877 and renamed "Lottah" in 1895,[3] supposedly an Aboriginal word for "gum tree".

At its peak, it had several hundred residents, and community facilities included a school, two hotels, two churches, a bakery, and a football club.

[7] People born in Lottah during its heyday include architecture professor Brian Lewis and RAAF officer Alan Charlesworth.

[8] The Anchor Mine closed in 1950, at which point the town's population had been in decline for several decades.