Geilston Bay

Geilston Bay (pronounced both "Jeels-ton and "Geels-ton", other pronunciations also possible) is a largely residential suburb of Hobart between Risdon Vale, Shag Bay, and Lindisfarne, in the City of Clarence located on the Eastern Shore of the Derwent River, taking its name from an inlet of that river of the same name. The inlet and locality were sometimes known by the alternative name "Limekiln Bay" on account of lime kilns which operated there between approximately the 1830s and the 1920s, the remains of which remained visible for some decades thereafter; another early name for the Bay was "James's Bay".

The nationally significant Late Oligocene (or early Miocene) " Geilston Bay Local Fauna" fossil find originates from this locality. Fossil mammal remains at this site were discovered by limestone quarrying activities in the 1860s and sent to the British Museum in London for further analysis, where they still reside. However there are no surface indications of the location of the site today, which lies buried by landfill under the playing fields of the former Geilston Bay High School.

History

Aboriginal history

Prior to the British colonisation of Tasmania, this land, part of the Oyster Bay region, had been occupied for possibly as long as 35,000 years by the semi-nomadic Mumirimina people. Mouheneener shell middens can be found in the area between Geilston Bay and Shag Bay, along with the remains of an Aboriginal rock shelter.

European settlement

The inlet of Geilston Bay was named after Colonel Andrew Geils who was appointed Commandant (acting Governor) of the settlement of Hobart in 1812, upon the death of David Collins, but only held that position for one year. Nevertheless in 1812 Geils created a consolidated property in the area now named Geilston Bay by purchasing (or making satisfactory remuneration to) land previously held by four others, namely Michael Mansfield, William Parish, David Wakefield and William Collins, and establishing at least a farm on the land, "Geils Town Farm", described in 1818 as "200 acres opposite New Town", and later (April 1824) as "Geils' Town Farm...to be let, for a term of years, a farm of 500 acres, called Geils' Town, about three miles from Hobart Town, on the Derwent." There is no mention of any associated residence for the family, who presumably resided elsewhere: Geils also owned property at nearby Lindisfarne plus the "Restdown" homestead at the original Bowen settlement site at Risdon Cove; he also purchased property in Pittwater.

Geils' association with Tasmania was brief: a professional soldier, in 1814 he went first to Sydney, then accompanied his regiment to Ceylon, although "leaving his family in Van Diemen's Land"; his subsequent movements are not documented in the cited source, however in 1815 he inherited his father's estate, Dumbuck House in Scotland, so possibly relocated there. His Tasmanian properties were offered for sale in 1818 and 1821 but apparently failed to sell at that time. Certainly by 1830 it was noted that Geils was at that time residing in Scotland, and he died there in 1843.

In 1832 (or shortly thereafter) both "Geils Town" and "Restdown" were purchased from Geils by one Thomas Gregson, briefly Tasmania's second Premier in 1857, and eventually a major landowner on the eastern shore of the Derwent, opposite Hobart Town (Gregson was also responsible for naming of the adjacent suburb "Lindisfarne"), Geils Town Farm being leased out to other parties for the remainder of his period of ownership and beyond. By 1838, Gregson's tenant appears to have been one John Price: a portion of a letter of that year written by Jane Franklin reads "ricein the meantime commences building another ouseon his rented property, for which he is to have a suitable reduction in rent from his landlord Mr Gregson. He is cultivating the land and burning lime for which he has an easy market in Hobart Town." Much of Gregson's property was offered for sale in 1867 (whether it sold at that time is not recorded), including "Lot 7: comprises about 51 acres, known as the LIME KILNS, which has supplied the town for upwards of 20 years. The lime obtained from this quarry is so well known that comment is unnecessary. The whole of the land, excepting the kiln, is under cultivation, and laid down in English grasses. It is situated on Geilstown icBay, with a large jetty, and convenience for shipping." Also offered was "Lot 8: comprises about 1515 acres, known as Geilstown." In February 1870, an advertisement in "The Tasmanian Times" announced: "To be let... the RISDON LIME KILNS and ADJOINING FARM, now and for some years past, let to Mr Keighley. The farm comprises 51 acres of good agricultural land fronting onto Geilstown Bay, and the quality of the lime stone is admitted to be excellent." After Gregson's death in 1874, all of his remaining property in several locations including "'Lime Kiln' farm (formerly 'Geils Town' farm)", Restdown, and the rest was put up for sale by the mortgagees and appears to have been acquired by John Degraves of Cascades, Hobart who subsequently died in 1880. Degraves' property portfolio, described as "The Risdon Estate" of 6,860 acres in total, was offered for sale by auction in 1890, the relevant portion here being described as "the Limeworks and Farm at Gielston icBay".

The lime kilns described above, plus the associated quarry—variously described as sited at Geilston Bay, Beltana (a former name for Lindisfarne) and Risdon—had been operational since circa the 1830s (one uncorroborated source gives 1825) and exploited a significant deposit of freshwater limestone in the form known as travertine (sometimes given as "travertin" in older literature) which, according to modern geological maps, was located within a few hundred yards of the head of the Bay. E.M. Christensen and M.C. Jones state that the quarry and lime works were initially convict built and operated, although this has not currently been confirmed from other sources. The limestone rock was quarried from an elevated exposure and burned in the associated kiln or kilns to produce lime, a key ingredient in the mortar that was required for construction of the sandstone buildings of Hobart Town at that time. By 1890 it was reported that the lime output from the works to that time was valued at over £200,000, equivalent to almost £33 million in 2022 UK pounds.Tasmanian News Sat 5 Jul 1890 : Page 2 : Beltana Lime Works
/ref> In 1843 the operator of the quarry was still Mr. Price; Christensen & Jones go on to state "... Somewhere around 1870 Mr George Albury bought the quarry. There was a good jetty at the head of the bay, and he had a twenty ton sailing craft to transport lime from the kilns for about ten years before the quarry was worked out. Early in 1890 a fresh deposit was discovered south of the house and Mr R. Boyle and Mr G. Stuart worked the kilns for another six years before the Denholms ater residents of the area, who lived by the quarrycame. ... The last operator of the kilns was a Mr Alf Cuthbertson, who sold out to the Electrolytic Zinc Company at the end of 1918." The Zinc Company's requirement was for unprocessed limestone, which was shipped straight across the river to their works at Lutana for use in their metallurgical processes, rather than for the lime product previously output from the kilns, so the latter fell into disrepair and were eventually abandoned.

The eventual cessation date for the quarry is not known exactly but was possibly in the 1920s. Several quarry pits remained (in a flooded state) until the late 1960s/early 1970s when they were filled in so that the area could be converted to playing fields associated with the construction of the new Geilston Bay High School, and can be seen in aerial photographs taken in the 1940s and 1960s (see "Gallery"). According to Christensen and Jones' account, the High School site also covered the remains of the disused lime kilns, which up till then had been "a favourite place for small children to go bird-nesting".

Probably from an early point in the twentieth century, an extensive apple orchard covered much of the flat area above the Bay (visible in the 1946 aerial photograph); this orchard, referred to as "de Bomford's Orchard" in correspondence of the time, was subsequently purchased by the Clarence Commission in 1954-5 for use as a community recreation area, to include a playing area for the soon to be formed Geilston Bay Tennis Club, which inaugurated in 1958. Little else has been discovered about the bearer of the name de Bomford, however the lane that currently extends from the East Derwent Highway down to the head of Geilston Bay through the recreation area currently bears that name ("Debomfords Lane").

An alternative name, "Limekiln Bay" was sometimes used for the Bay through the second part of the nineteenth and first part of the twentieth centuries; as late as 1939 it could be found in use (presumably with readers expected to know its location) in a newspaper article, but has today disappeared from use. Yet another early name for the Bay was "James's Bay", found for example in this 1843 newspaper article which refers to "Mr. Price's limestone quarry in James's Bay", and other sources which equate James's Bay with the present Geilston Bay.

In 1921, a property named "Geilston Park", was offered for sale described as "comprising 1,078 acres, situated on Main Road from Lindisfarne to East Risdon", with "Improvements compris ngnew brick dwelling and substantial outbuildings." It is not known who the seller was, or the successful purchaser, however a 1936 notice, also in the Mercury, warns "No Hunting or Shooting Allowed on Geilston Park. Trespassers prosecuted, dogs shot. E. H. Shone." Presumably the same property, by now substantially reduced in associated acreage, was offered for sale in 1940 as "Geilston Park", a "brick residence of 4 large main rooms ... together with a small cottage, 2-stall brick stable, and workshop", on a block of 41 acres of land, with a "long frontage on the Risdon Road and overlook ngGeilston Bay", following the 1939 death of its owner, one Ernest Alma Bellette, "Late of First Imperial Tasmanian Contingent, South Africa".

Following the closure of the lime kilns and eventually, the quarry, Geilston Bay appears to have reverted once again to a place of relatively quiet farming activity, separated by the River Derwent from the urban and industrial activities of its counterparts on the western shore. One activity of note did, however, take place from around 1939 for several years, when the Bay was used as an assembly point for the 24 floating concrete pontoons that were to be used as the unusual floating Hobart Bridge, which was in operation between 1943 and 1964 when it was replaced by its successor, the new (and conventional) Tasman Bridge. Probably not by coincidence, when the floating bridge was decommissioned in 1964, its concrete pontoons were once again towed to Geilston Bay where they remained floating for several years before eventual disposal (part of one is visible in the 1969 aerial photograph reproduced below, refer "Gallery").

The 1946 photograph shows that the area was largely undeveloped at that time, but was allocated for postwar housing from around the beginning of the 1950s and by the 1960s much of the suburb's present streetscape had been laid out and houses built and occupied. In 1967 the Geilston Bay Boat Club was formed and constructed slips, jetties and launching ramps at the head of the bay, as well as a succession of clubhouses.

By at least the late 1960s, another portion of the flat area near the East Derwent Highway was in use as the Lindisfarne Golf Course. Commencing in 1971, this site was reallocated for the construction of Geilston Bay High School which opened on 9 February 1972. The school operated as a high school for 41 years, however was closed in 2013 on account of falling enrolments. In 2014 the buildings were refurbished to provide a new and larger site for the Lindisfarne North Primary School, previously in north Lindisfarne, which then reopened on the Geilston Bay site in 2015.

In 2022, a purpose built building for the Tasmanian Archives was completed at Geilston Bay to encompass its stored collection, which was previously housed at Berriedale on Hobart's western shore.

Today Geilston Bay is a quiet, largely residential suburb. Road access to Hobart (via the East Derwent Highway) is similar to that of other northerly suburbs on the "Eastern Shore" such as its immediate neighbour to the south, Lindisfarne. Although it lacks the commercial activity, sometimes more grand housing stock and extensive downstream views of the Derwent River of its southern neighbour, residents—especially in the western portion—benefit from access to Natone Hill plus bushland between Geilston and Shag Bays for recreation, and other recreation facilities plus the waterside reserve centered around the Boat Club, as well as pleasing views of the small Bay which is typically filled with boats at anchor, while elsewhere in the suburb most homes have distant views of kunanyi / Mount Wellington. Three other bushland reserves, Thoona Bushland Reserve and Lindhill Bushland Reserve (both small) and the more extensive Pilchers Hill Reserve, are located in the eastern portion of the suburb and are maintained by Clarence City Council.

Scientific importance

The "Geilston Bay Local Fauna" of Late Oligocene/Early Miocene age originates from the travertine deposit at Geilston Bay, now no longer in existence; in the nineteenth century the site provided specimens of fossil plants and a small number of animal bones. Fossil mammal remains at this site discovered by limestone quarrying activities in the 1860s were sent to the British Museum in London for further analysis, where they still reside; upon restudy in 1973-1975, the latter were announced as the earliest assemblage of fossil marsupials in Australia, although that distinction has subsequently passed to fossils of Eocene age from the Murgon fossil site. Today the travertine deposit is no longer visible, the site of the quarry workings now lying under the playing fields of the former Geilston Bay High School (see map plus aerial photographs reproduced below).

Education

Lindisfarne North Primary school relocated in 2015 to the former Geilston Bay High School has Students (FTE) of 277.8 (as at 20 February 2015).
A private Christian School (Kinder to year 12) also operates in the suburb.

Local business

There is a local corner takeaway shop and general store, a butcher, a florist and pizza restaurant.
As Lindisfarne is so close, citizens shop there as well as this suburb has a Woolworths (supermarket).

The Clarence lifestyle retirement village is also located within the suburb..

Sport and recreation

Many people exercise and walk their dogs on Natone Hill Bush reserve and on the walk to Shag Bay.
The Geilston Bay tennis courts has six premium synthetic-grass courts securely enclosed and located in an attractive, protected setting. Nearby is a skate park and other recreational facilities.
Geilston Bay has many sporting ovals operated by the City of Clarence and Lindisfarne North Primary School.
The OHA Football Club competes in the Old Scholars Football Association during winter.
The Montagu Bay Cricket Club competes in the Kookaburra Southern Cricket Association during the summer.

In the past 30 years, the suburb has become more urbanised as property developments take place, with the resulting loss of surrounding bushland and extending the suburb towards Risdon Vale.

Notable people

* Colonel Andrew Geils – Commandant of Tasmania 1812-1813
* Marie Bjelke Petersen - novelist and physical culture teacher. Her last house in Australia, "Moon Gate", was in Geilston Bay.9. Life in Clarence in the 1920s and 1930s
(author and parent work not presently known)
* Cheryl Margaret Wilson (OAM 2004), Geilston Bay, Tasmania, for service to the Guiding movement in Tasmania, and to junior athletics.

Gallery

File:Geilston Bay 1946 01.jpg, Geilston Bay, Tasmania, aerial photograph 26 Mar 1946. Note the overall lack of development, with the orchard (right of centre) and flooded former limestone quarry workings below.
File:Geilston Bay 1969.jpg, Geilston Bay, Tasmania, aerial photograph 24 Jan 1969. Note that development has now occurred on the southern flank of the Bay. The curved white object is a portion of the arch of the former Hobart floating bridge, in storage pending its removal, following the opening of its replacement, the Tasman Bridge, which opened in August 1964. The central, undeveloped area is now occupied by, among others, the Boat Club buildings and the Lindisfarne Golf Course, while the former quarry workings are still visible.
File:Geilston Bay 2002.jpg, Geilston Bay, Tasmania, aerial photograph 27 Nov 2002. The Lindisfarne Golf Course site is now occupied by buildings of the Geilston Bay High School (constructed 1971-2) and its playing fields cover the area where the former quarry used to be.

Notes

References

External links

*Geilston Bay (suburb boundary, zoom in to show detail) o
Google Maps
- note, as at January 2023, the labels for "Geilston Bay" (inlet), "Shag Bay" and "Koomela Bay" are incorrectly placed (thus Geilston Bay is incorrectly labelled Koomela Bay)
"Geilston Bay, 1904"
- historical image in holdings of the Lindisfarne Historical Society Inc.
Geological map: Risdon Vale-Geilston Bay Area
(Tasmania Department of Mines, 1964)
Marine & Safety Tasmania: Geilston Bay Boat Ramp
- includes a 360 degree panorama (video) taken from the boat ramp
Clarence Foreshore Trail: Geilston Bay to Lindisfarne
(Clarence City Council)

(includes section on / images of Geilston Bay; some information in accompanying text is incorrect)
Lindisfarne North Primary SchoolSeabrook Christian SchoolGeilston Bay Boat Club – Founded 1982Geilston Bay Tennis Club – Founded 1958OHA Football Club – Founded 1919 – Relocated to Geilston Bay 1977Montagu Bay Sharks Cricket Club – Relocated to Geilston BayClarence Lifestyle Retirement VillageBibliography of Andrew Geils
{{Hobart suburbs

Localities of City of Clarence