Flanny due for a change

GLENORCHY is keen to shake off its somewhat checkered reputation of being “beyond the flannelette curtain”.

A project called “Beyond The Curtain” wants to hear from residents about how they feel living in the Northern Suburbs.

“This place has changed. We’ve outgrown that image – now, we’re just as likely to be wearing a suit, high vis, jeans, activewear or traditional dress,” a social media post on the campaign explains.

A NEW council-led project aims to peel back the flannelette layers and delve deeper into the people and places that make up Hobart’s northern suburbs.

Over the next six weeks, the Glenorchy City Council is collaborating with local advertising agency The20 to create a master story for the municipality through its Beyond The Curtain campaign.

The somewhat derogatory term for those living north of Creek Rd, the mythical “flannelette curtain” is a well entrenched term that some residents have embraced.

Mayor Kristie Johnston said the aspirational project aimed to establish the area’s identity and provide detailed, specific insights into the Moonah, Claremont and Glenorchy precincts.

“In Glenorchy, we have a strength, we have something unique and we have a source of pride,” she said.

“Our problem is we’ve never truly articulated what it is — we’ve never told others and we’ve never told ourselves.”

At least 100 interviews with the people of Glenorchy will be done to find out what residents young and old think and feel about life beyond the flannelette curtain as the area increasingly gentrifies.

The20 managing director Matt Fishburn said the firm wanted to hear “the good, the bad and the ugly”.

Glenorchy resident Meagan Cato, who has lived in Hobart’s northern suburbs for 29 years, said she was proud to call Glenorchy home.

“I really like it here and can’t see myself ever moving. It’s a really friendly area that has everything in terms of services,” she said.

“The Glenorchy property prices also seem a touch more affordable than many other places and it’s an exciting time for the area with the planned Derwent Entertainment Centre development in the works.

“The Montrose Bay foreshore is also looking very nice nowadays too.”

Beyond the Curtain is stage one of the council’s $350,000 greater Glenorchy plan, which is being funded under the $5 million COVID economic recovery package.