Lucas Heightsis asuburbinsouthern Sydney,in the state ofNew South Wales,Australia.It is near to theRoyal National Park.
| Lucas Heights Sydney,New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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 HIFARreactor at Lucas Heights, c.1958 | |||||||||||||||
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| Population | 4 (SAL2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2234 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 151 m (495 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 31 km (19 mi) south-west ofSydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Sutherland Shire | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Holsworthy | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Hughes | ||||||||||||||
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Geography
editIt is located 31 kilometres south-west of theSydney central business district,in thelocal government areaof theSutherland Shire.Lucas Heights is located on theWoronora River,which flows north into theGeorges River.
Unusually for a suburb, Lucas Heights does not contain a residential area. The residential area previously part of Lucas Heights was renamedBarden Ridgein 1996 to increase the real estate value of the area, as it would no longer be instantly associated with theHigh Flux Australian Reactor(HIFAR).
History
editLucas Heights was named after John Lucas Senior, aflour millerwho in 1823 was granted 150 acres (0.6 km2) on the 'head of unnamed stream into Georges River'. He built a water-driven mill for grinding corn from theIllawarrafarms. Small ships sailed up the coast intoBotany Bay,Georges River and the Woronora River.[2]
Commercial areas
editLucas Heights has become notable as the site of theAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s(ANSTO) main research establishment, originally built by theAustralian Atomic Energy Commissionand home to the historicHIFARresearch reactor.
HIFAR was shut down in January 2007 and superseded by theOPALresearch reactor. OPAL consists of leadingneutron radiationfacilities and attracts international scientists as its staff members and many hundreds of third-party users. In 2005, Australian police suggested the HIFAR reactor was a possible target for a foiled terrorist bomb attack.[3]
Spent fuel from the OPAL research reactor is transported toPort Kembla,then exported to France for reprocessing.[4]
The non-governmental Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) also has its headquarters at Lucas Heights.[5]
Lucas Heights also hosts a (non-nuclear)waste managementfacility, which was for many years a major disposal site for sanitary carters.
Climate
editDue to its elevation, Lucas Heights is one of the few places in Sydney that has a borderlineOceanic(Cfb) and aHumid subtropical climate(Cfa).
| Climate data for Lucas Heights | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 41.2 (106.2) |
42.0 (107.6) |
39.8 (103.6) |
32.4 (90.3) |
26.9 (80.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
24.0 (75.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
34.4 (93.9) |
34.0 (93.2) |
41.5 (106.7) |
40.0 (104.0) |
42.0 (107.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.9 (78.6) |
26.0 (78.8) |
24.7 (76.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
18.9 (66.0) |
16.2 (61.2) |
15.8 (60.4) |
17.2 (63.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
21.6 (70.9) |
23.4 (74.1) |
25.7 (78.3) |
21.4 (70.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) |
17.6 (63.7) |
16.1 (61.0) |
13.3 (55.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
8.2 (46.8) |
6.6 (43.9) |
7.4 (45.3) |
9.4 (48.9) |
11.9 (53.4) |
13.7 (56.7) |
15.9 (60.6) |
12.3 (54.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.9 (51.6) |
11.1 (52.0) |
8.4 (47.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
4.3 (39.7) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
1.6 (34.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
3.5 (38.3) |
6.8 (44.2) |
8.8 (47.8) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 92.5 (3.64) |
104.1 (4.10) |
119.0 (4.69) |
92.0 (3.62) |
79.9 (3.15) |
101.0 (3.98) |
59.6 (2.35) |
67.6 (2.66) |
51.8 (2.04) |
70.2 (2.76) |
92.9 (3.66) |
77.9 (3.07) |
1,007.6 (39.67) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 10.9 | 11.1 | 11.8 | 9.6 | 9.4 | 9.8 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 9.8 | 10.9 | 10.0 | 116.5 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 62 | 63 | 63 | 58 | 58 | 61 | 52 | 51 | 52 | 57 | 57 | 57 | 57 |
| Source:[6] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^Australian Bureau of Statistics(28 June 2022)."Lucas Heights (suburb and locality)".Australian Census 2021 QuickStats.Retrieved28 June2022.
- ^The Book of Sydney Suburbs,Compiled by Frances Pollen,Angus & Robertson,1990ISBN0-207-14495-8
- ^"Nuclear link' to terror suspects".BBC News.14 November 2005.
- ^"Radioactive nuclear 'boomerang waste' moved out of Australia".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.29 July 2018.Retrieved15 December2020.
- ^"Contact Us".AINSE.Retrieved18 March2024.
- ^"Climate statistics for LUCAS HEIGHTS (ANSTO)".Bureau of Meteorology.Retrieved8 February2014.
34°02′56″S150°58′30″E/ 34.049°S 150.975°E
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