Lutana, Tasmania Explained

Lutana
Coordinates:-42.8411°N 147.3094°W
Alternative Location Map:Australia Hobart
Local Map:yes
Zoom:12
State:tas
Type:suburb
Lga:City of Glenorchy
City:Hobart
Postcode:7009
Pop:2,616
Pop Footnotes:[1]
Stategov:Clark
Fedgov:Clark
Region:Hobart
Location1:Glenorchy
Dist1:3
Dir1:SE
Near-Nw:Derwent Park
Near-N:Prince of Wales Bay
Near-Ne:River Derwent
Near-W:Moonah
Near-E:River Derwent
Near-Sw:New Town
Near-S:New Town
Near-Se:River Derwent

Lutana is a residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of Glenorchy in the Hobart LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about south-east of the town of Glenorchy. The 2021 census recorded a population of 2,616 for the state suburb of Lutana.[1] It is a suburb of Hobart. It is a large residential suburb located between the Brooker Highway and the River Derwent.

History

Meaning "moon" in one of the Aboriginal Tasmanian languages,[2] Lutana as a name was first used in 1923 as a name for a railway station on the Abbatoirs branch line. Lutana was initially a sparsely populated area with agricultural and rural characteristics. Over time, the suburb underwent development and urbanization, transforming into a residential area.

The oldest properties at Lutana were originally built by Electrolytic Zinc (the operator of the Risdon Zinc Works)[3] as homes for its employees at the nearby zinc works.[4] The homes were later sold off and are now privately owned.

Lutana was serviced by the Risdon and Abbatoirs railway branch lines from 1919 until 1974, when all suburban services in Hobart ceased. It was the only passenger station on the line, although there were some minor facilities at Risdon station, located at the zinc works in the north of Lutana.

The suburb was gazetted as a locality in 1961.[5]

Lutana has experienced substantial growth in recent years, becoming a popular inner-city suburb, offering a range of housing, including weatherboard homes, townhouses and apartments.

Heavy metal contamination

Trading as Nyrstar Hobart, the Risdon Zinc Works at Lutana, which has been in operation since 1917, continues to produce heavy metal contaminants affecting the air, land and estuary waters surrounding Greater Hobart.[6]

In the 1980s, top soil samples from Lutana, Geilston Bay and Lindisfarne revealed high concentrations of zinc, lead, and cadmium. The sampling also revealed that the prevailing wind directions, the terrain of the land, and proximity to the smelter had an impact on the contamination's dissemination pattern.[7]

Early to mid-1990s soil sampling around Lutana and the eastern shore revealed that increased levels of cadmium, lead, and zinc were confined to the top of the soil profile, with the bulk concentrated in the top .[7]

A 2009 report conducted by the CSIRO recommended that home-grown vegetables vulnerable to the uptake of heavy metals including lettuce, spinach, carrot and beetroot should be grown in raised garden beds with a minimum depth of clean soil.[7]

Drawing from data complied in the National Pollutant Inventory, a report by the Australian Conservation Foundation placed Hobart at number 6 of Australia's most polluted cities in 2018. The data identified medium levels of air pollution in postcodes 7009 (Lutana, Derwent Park, Moonah, West Moonah), 7010 (Glenorchy, Rosetta, Montrose, Goodwood, Dowsing Point) and 7015 (Lindisfarne, Geilston Bay, Rose Bay) with average air contaminate readings of 40% (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) contributing 57% of airborne emissions.[8] [9]

The Tasmanian Planning Scheme does not mandate the Glenorchy City Council to notify prospective buyers about potential land contamination within the City of Glenorchy.[10]

Geography

The waters of the River Derwent and New Town Bay form the north-eastern to south-eastern boundaries.

Road infrastructure

National Route 1 (Brooker Highway) passes to the south-west, and several roads provide access to the locality.[5] [11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 27 April 2023 . 2021 Census Quick Stats Lutana (Tas.) . . quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au.
  2. Howatson, Donald, The Story of New Town – Street by Street, 2011,
  3. known originally as the Risdon zinc works
  4. Web site: Communal life, common interests and healthy conditions. Ruth Barton.
  5. Web site: Placenames Tasmania – Lutana . . Placenames Tasmania . 2 April 2021 . Select "Search", enter "18N", click "Search", select row, map is displayed, click "Details".
  6. Web site: From the archives: the State of the Derwent . 2006-05-29 . 2023-05-22 . . Obendorf . David.
  7. Web site: Managing Soil Contamination in parts of Lutana and Hobart’s eastern shore . 2009-05-01 . 2023-05-21 . Environment Protection Authority.
  8. Web site: The Dirty Truth: Australia’s Most Polluted Postcodes . 2018-11-01 . 2023-05-22 . Australian Conservation Foundation.
  9. Web site: Australia's pollution mapped by postcode reveals nation's 'dirty truth' . 2018-11-16 . 2023-05-22 . . Hermant . Norman . Clark . Emily.
  10. Web site: NOTIFICATION TO PURCHASERS: CONTAMINATED LAND IN LUTANA . 2022-03-28 . 2023-05-22 . Glenorchy City Council.
  11. Web site: Tasmanian Road Route Codes . https://web.archive.org/web/20170801112712/http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/Route%20Descriptions%20V3.6.pdf . dead . 2017-08-01 . . May 2017 . Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment . 2 April 2021 .