Lota, Queensland

Lota is an eastern outer coastal suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Lota recorded a population of 3,256 people.
Geography.
Lota is east of the CBD. The south and east of the suburb is dominated by the mudflats and mangrove wetlands of Lota Creek and Waterloo Bay. To the west and north, the land rises towards the heights of Manly and Manly West.
The suburb is of primarily post-war residential make-up but is gradually being developed with modern beachside properties. 
History.
This part of Moreton Bay was originally occupied by the semi-nomadic Mipirimm subclan of the Quandamooka people. Lota and neighbouring suburb Manly were and continue to be known as "Narlung" to the Quandamooka people, likely meaning 'the place of long shadows'. The name "ningi ningi" (meaning 'oysters') may also have been used in relation to the area of Lota near the creek. 
Lota was acquired by Irish-born politician and pastoralist William Duckett White in 1860, following sub-division of the lands from Lytton to Fig Tree Point. The first Queensland Premier, Robert Herbert, entered into a partnership with Duckett White for some of the land. The suburb is named after Duckett White's residence, Lota House, built in 1863. Lota House was the heart of a productive estate, with sugar cane and fodder grown on the flats near the creek and orchards planted on higher ground near Macdonald Street. Aboriginal and South Sea Islander people worked the property, camping to the west of Lota House. Other major Quandamooka campsites in the area in the mid-1800s were located in Manly and Wynnum. 
Duckett White's land was first subdivided in 1911 to the east of the present railway line. The Lota Park Estate, west of the line, was sold in 1918. Lota School of Arts opened on the corner of Alexander and MacDonald Streets in 1927, and played host to dance evenings, film screenings and classes. The Rix-Farmer Memorial Presbyterian Church opened in opposite Lota House Oceana Terrace in 1931. The same year, Great Depression 'relief work' led to the reclamation of land along the Esplanade, and the building of Lota's seawall. 
The former St Agnes' Anglican Church on The Esplanade (near Orallo Street, approx ) was dedicated on 16 May 1957 by Archbishop Halse. Its closure was approved on 21 January 1994 by Assistant Bishop Ron Williams. The building was moved to Alexandra Hills Parish.
Bayside Uniting Church was established in 1990 in Wondall Road, Manly West, combining four Uniting Churches located at:
Due to earlier or later closures, the Bayside Uniting Church also incorporated congregations from:
In the , Lota recorded a population of 3,255 people.
In the , Lota recorded a population of 3,256 people.
Heritage listings.
Lota has one heritage-listed site.
Transport.
Lota railway station provides access to regular Queensland Rail City network services to Brisbane and Cleveland. The first line was opened in 1889 through Lota to Cleveland. In 1960, the railway line between Lota and Cleveland was closed, leaving Lota as the terminus until the re-opening of the line in stages between 1983 and 1987.
Amenities.
Lota is home to several key amenities, including Bayside PCYC, Bayside United Soccer Club, Lota State School and Melaleuca Environmental Park. The Lota Foreshore Park (formerly the Lota Camping Reserve) is a large bay-front park that stretches along the eastern edge of the suburb, with playgrounds, barbecuing facilities, boat ramps and a sculpture park. A boardwalk crosses Lota Creek from Whites Road to Chelsea Road in Ransome.
Governance.
At the local level, Lota is in the Wynnum-Manly ward of the Brisbane City Council, represented by Cr Peter Cumming since March 1994. At the state level, Lota is within the Lytton electorate, a traditionally safe Labor seat, held by Joan Pease. LNP MP Ross Vasta has held the Federal electorate of Bonner since 2010.
Education.
Lota State School was opened on 29 January 1952.
Demographics.
In the 2016 census, Lota recorded a population of 3,256 people, 50.4% female and 49.6% male. The median age of the Lota population was 41 years of age, three years above the Australian median. 74.3% of people living in Lota were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 66.7%; the next most common countries of birth were England 7.3%, New Zealand 6.0%, South Africa 1.7%, Scotland 1.3%, Ireland 0.7%. 92.9% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.7% German, 0.4% Mandarin, 0.3% French, 0.3% Dutch and 0.3% Japanese.