Ralphs Bay is a body of water in south-east
Tasmania,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It is semi-enclosed by the
Tranmere /
Rokeby peninsula and the
South Arm peninsula
South Arm Peninsula is a peninsula that lies on the east side of the mouth of the River Derwent south of Hobart in Tasmania, Australia. The peninsula commences at Lauderdale and curves landward or inward on a narrow isthmus that has South Ar ...
. Sea access to the bay is from the
River Derwent.
Ralphs Bay is a shallow, windy bay, situated on the south-east of the Derwent Estuary, about 12 kilometres from the south-east of Hobart in Tasmania, Australia. The bay is sheltered by the low, grassy hills of Droughty Point to the north-west and the
spit of
South Arm and
Opossum Bay
Opossum Bay is a rural residential locality in the local government area of Clarence in the Hobart region of Tasmania. The locality is about south-east of the town of Rosny Park. The 2016 census has a population of 329 for the state suburb of ...
to the south-west.
Ecology
The
red-necked stint migrates from Siberia every year and most of the birds, which do that, find themselves in Ralphs Bay. It is also an important area for the
spotted handfish. They are critically endangered and, because of the pollution in the River Derwent, live in majority at Ralphs Bay and its surrounding waters.
The bay is part of the
South Arm Important Bird Area (IBA), identified as such by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
because of its importance for the conservation of
pied oystercatchers and of the
migratory waders, or shorebirds, of the
East Asian – Australasian Flyway
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from ...
.
Colonial history
Australia's first shore-based whaling station was established in Ralph's Bay at Trywork(s) Point. It was in operation by 27 September 1805 when the
Rev Knopwood recorded in his diary,
The whaling station, which only operated in the winter months, had closed down by 1818.
Recent history
Since 2004 Ralphs Bay has been the focus of a local development debate.
Walker Corporation had planned a major development in the bay near
Lauderdale. The proposal included a
canal development and a
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
, to be known as "Lauderdale Quay". It met strong opposition from the local community which was concerned that the development would destroy native wildlife habitat in the area and reduce public access to the foreshore.
On 22 October 2009 the Tasmanian Planning Commission released its Draft Integrated Assessment Report which highlighted significant planning issues that seem to indicate that approval will not be given for the proposal. On 23 June 2010 the Greens announced the legal confirmation of the Ralphs Bay Conservation Area as being 171 hectares and therefore preventing proposed canal housing estates.
[Ralphs Bay Conservation Area (Clarification) Act 2006 cited in: ]
Notes
External links
ABC 7:30 Report transcript, June 30 2004Ralphsbay.comSave Ralphs Bay - Community site against proposed developmentWalker Corporation - statement about proposed development
Bays of Tasmania
Beaches of Tasmania
Important Bird Areas of Tasmania
South Arm Peninsula
Whaling stations in Australia
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