Poatina, Tasmania
Poatina | |||||||||||||
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| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Tasmania | ||||||||||||
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| Location |
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| Elevation | 299 m (981 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 96 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 7302 | ||||||||||||
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Poatina (derived from an indigenous word for "cave")[2] is a town in Tasmania, Australia 60 km south of Launceston. The Western Tiers mountain range surrounds Poatina.[3]
Poatina Village was constructed in the 1960s to house the work force of the Poatina Power Station,[3] which was commissioned in 1964.[4] Hydro Tasmania sold the village in 1995 to Fusion Australia, an Australian Christian not-for-profit youth and community organisation.[5][6] In 2010, Poatina was described as "a tightly knit Christian community".[7]
As of 2014, the Poatina Chalet was part of a resort area owned by Fusion Australia.[3] At that time, Poatina was home to a Golden Chain Motel, Mountain View Restaurant, a metal fabrication workshop, a hot glass studio, a golf course, a private school,[3] and an artists' community.[8] As of 2020, Poatina had "streets...lined with 1950s houses," "a general store, a petrol pump and even a phone box".[6] There is no longer any school operating in Poatina.
The 2016 census offered a snapshot of Poatina's small size. It recorded the town's population at just 96 people.[1]
In 2025 the Poatina community agreed on new by-laws, removing any reference to religious ethos. It expects this could open the tiny town up to grow and hopefully change public perception.[9] In an intreview in 2025 a resident stated its just a normal town with normal people.
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Poatina (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ↑ Holmes, Adam (26 May 2019). "Reviving language: Second palawa kani dictionary nears". The Examiner.
- 1 2 3 4 "Locals 'relaxed' amid lockdown". themercury. 25 February 2014.
- ↑ "Tunnel repairs in the Poatina Hydro-electric Scheme, Tasmania – Australian Geomechanics Society". australiangeomechanics.org.
- ↑ Jordan, Tarlia (20 January 2018). "Poatina's hydro history revisited". The Examiner.
- 1 2 "Giving the gift of hope, through glass". www.abc.net.au. 25 September 2020.
- ↑ Hinch, Derryn (20 March 2010). "The ultimate betrayal". The Age. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ↑ "When someone breathes into these glass bubbles, 'something happens — you can tell that they feel it'". www.abc.net.au. 30 November 2019.
- ↑ "Christian charity to leave town, sparking new chapter for remote village". ABC News. 9 November 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2026.