Lutana, Tasmania

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. Th
2021 census
recorded a population of 2,616 for the state suburb of Lutana.
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, 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) as homes for its employees at the nearby zinc works. 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.

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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.

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

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.

References

Towns in Tasmania
Localities of City of Glenorchy
Populated places on the River Derwent

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