Great Oyster Bay

Last updated

Great Oyster Bay, Freycinet Peninsula and Schouten Island seen from space (false colour). Freycinet Peninsula NASA.jpg
Great Oyster Bay, Freycinet Peninsula and Schouten Island seen from space (false colour).

Great Oyster Bay is a broad and sheltered bay on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia which opens onto the Tasman Sea. The Tasman Highway runs close to the West Coast of the bay with views of the granite peaks of the Hazards and Schouten Island of the Freycinet Peninsula which are incorporated in the Freycinet National Park.

Contents

Towns on the bay include Swansea and Coles Bay.

At the north of the bay the floodplains of the Aspley and Swan rivers has created Moulting Lagoon, an important Ramsar-listed wetland, much of which lies in the Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve. [1] Nearby is the Friendly Beaches Reserve owned and managed by Bush Heritage Australia (BHA).

History

Great Oyster Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula Blick ueber Great Oyster Bay zur Freycinet Peninsula.jpg
Great Oyster Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula

Prior to European settlement the area was occupied by Tasmanian Aborigines. From autumn through winter various bands of the Oyster Bay Tribe congregated around the coastal areas to harvest shellfish and marine vegetables until the end of July, when swans and ducks arrived in the lagoons and riverine areas to lay their eggs and raise their young. In August most of the bands moved up the Little Swanport and Prosser Rivers to the Eastern Marshes to hunt birds, kangaroos and wallabies. The Linetemairrener people lived at the lagoon year round. [2]

Shore-based bay whaling activity took place in Coles Bay and other locations in the area in the 19th century. [3]

Activities

Sea kayaking on Great Oyster Bay near The Hazards Sea kayaking from Coles Bay.jpg
Sea kayaking on Great Oyster Bay near The Hazards

Activities include sea kayaking in the sheltered waters on the east side of the bay from Coles Bay exploring the small and isolated beaches on the Freycinet Peninsula. Recreational fishing is also an activity in the bay with flathead, Australian salmon, trevally, trumpeter and squid sometimes caught. Dolphins and Australian fur seals can sometimes be seen and whales often visit the bay in winter.

Aquaculture has been practiced in the area since the early 1970s. Species cultivated commercially include Pacific oysters, native oysters, mussels, scallops, abalone and sea urchins in the Great Oyster Bay and Mercury Passage. An initial marine farming lease set up in 1978 in Pelican Bay, with additional leases granted for shellfish culture since then in the northern section of Great Oyster Bay and the Swan River. [4]

Infestations

Infestations of rice grass has been reported by oyster farmers from Little Swanport in 2008 with action being taken to eliminate this ecological threat in the area. [5]

Access to most of the Friendly Beaches Reserve is restricted due to the threat of contamination by the soil pathogen cinnamon fungus.

Related Research Articles

Protected areas of Tasmania consist of protected areas located within Tasmania and its immediate onshore waters, including Macquarie Island. It includes areas of crown land managed by Tasmanian Government agencies as well as private reserves. As of 2016, 52% of Tasmania's land area has some form of reservation classification, the majority is managed by the Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service. Marine protected areas cover about 7.9% of state waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freycinet National Park</span> Protected area in Tasmania, Australia

Freycinet National Park is a national park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, 125 kilometres (78 mi) northeast of Hobart. It occupies a large part of the Freycinet Peninsula, named after French navigator Louis de Freycinet, and Schouten Island. Founded in 1916, it is Tasmania's oldest park, along with Mount Field National Park. Bordering the national park is the small settlement of Coles Bay, and the largest nearby town is Swansea. Freycinet contains part of the rugged Tasmanian coastline and includes the secluded Wineglass Bay. Features of the park include its red and pink granite formations and a series of jagged granite peaks in a line, called "The Hazards".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Derwent (Tasmania)</span> River in south east Tasmania, Australia

The River Derwent is a river located in Tasmania, Australia, also known by the palawa kani name timtumili minanya. The river rises in the state's Central Highlands at Lake St Clair, and descends more than 700 metres (2,300 ft) over a distance of more than 200 kilometres (120 mi), flowing through Hobart, the state's capital city, before emptying into Storm Bay and flowing into the Tasman Sea. The banks of the Derwent were once covered by forests and occupied by Aboriginal Tasmanians. European settlers farmed the area and during the 20th century many dams were built on its tributaries for the generation of hydro-electricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea, Tasmania</span> Town in Tasmania, Australia

Swansea is a town in the heart of Tasmania's east coast, on the north-west shore of Great Oyster Bay and overlooking Freycinet National Park. It was the first municipality in Australia to be established after Hobart and Sydney. At the 2021 census, Swansea had a population of 997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruny Island</span> Island off the coast of Tasmania

Bruny Island is a 362-square-kilometre (140 sq mi) island located off the southeastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island is separated from the Tasmanian mainland by the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and its east coast lies within the Tasman Sea. Located to the island's northeast Storm Bay, is the river mouth to the Derwent River estuary, and serves as the main port of Hobart, Tasmania's capital city. Both the island and the channel are named after French explorer, Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux. Its traditional Aboriginal name is lunawanna-allonah, which survives as the name of two island settlements, Alonnah and Lunawanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Island</span> Island off the eastern Tasmanian coast

Maria Island or wukaluwikiwayna in palawa kani is a mountainous island located in the Tasman Sea, off the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. The 115.5-square-kilometre (44.6 sq mi) island is contained within the Maria Island National Park, which includes a marine area of 18.78 square kilometres (7.25 sq mi) off the island's northwest coast. The island is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) in length from north to south and, at its widest, is about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west to east. At its closest point, Point Lesueur, the island lies approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) off the east coast of Tasmania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freycinet Peninsula</span> Peninsula in Tasmania, Australia

The Freycinet Peninsula is a large peninsula located on the eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The peninsula is located north of Schouten Island and is contained within the Freycinet National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schouten Island</span> Island off eastern Tasmania

Schouten Island, part of the Schouten Island Group, is an island with an area of approximately 28 square kilometres (11 sq mi) lying close to the eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia, located 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) south of the Freycinet Peninsula and is a part of Freycinet National Park. The palawa kani place name for the island is mayaluwarana.

Frederick Henry Bay is a body of water in the southeast of Tasmania, Australia. It is located to the east of the South Arm Peninsula, and west of the Tasman Peninsula. Towns on the coast of the bay include Lauderdale, Seven Mile Beach, Dodges Ferry and Primrose Sands. The bay is accessible via Storm Bay from the south, and provides further access to Norfolk Bay to its east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triabunna</span> Town in Tasmania, Australia

Triabunna is a rural residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of Glamorgan–Spring Bay in the South-east LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about 86 kilometres (53 mi) north-east of the city of Hobart. The 2021 census has a population of 905 for the state suburb of Triabunna.

Levendale is a small settlement mostly in the Southern Midlands Council area 53 km north of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, with about 28% in the Glamorgan-Spring Bay Council LGA, servicing the local farming community. Australian author and novelist Rachael Treasure resides in the area.

Friendly Beaches Reserve is a 140 ha coastal nature reserve in eastern Tasmania, Australia, 190 km north-east of Hobart and 180 km south-east of Launceston. It is located on the north-east side of the Freycinet Peninsula, bordering the Freycinet National Park. It is owned and managed by Bush Heritage Australia (BHA), by which it was purchased in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refuge Island (Tasmania)</span> Island in Tasmania, Australia

Refuge Island is a flat granite island, with an area of about 6 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Schouten Island Group, lying close to the eastern coast of Tasmania near the Freycinet Peninsula and is part of the Freycinet National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coles Bay, Tasmania</span> Town in Tasmania, Australia

Coles Bay is an Australian town on the east Coast of Tasmania 192 km north-east of Hobart and 173 km south-east of Launceston, being the main entrance point for visitors to the Freycinet National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockle Creek (Tasmania)</span> Location in Tasmania, Australia

Cockle Creek is the farthest point south one can drive in Australia. It is located on Recherche Bay on the edge of the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moulting Lagoon Important Bird Area</span> Lake in Tasmania, Australia

Moulting Lagoon Important Bird Area is a composite wetland site in eastern Tasmania, Australia. It comprises two adjacent and hydrologically continuous wetlands – Moulting Lagoon and the Apsley Marshes – at the head of Great Oyster Bay, near the base of the Freycinet Peninsula, between the towns of Swansea and Bicheno. Both components of the site are listed separately under the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international significance. Moulting Lagoon is so named because it is a traditional moulting place for black swans. It is an important site for waterbirds.

Little Swanport is a rural locality and an estuary in the local government area of Glamorgan–Spring Bay in the South-east region of Tasmania. It is especially significant for the Little Swanport language. The locality is about 23 kilometres (14 mi) south of the town of Swansea. The 2016 census has a population of 117 for the state suburb of Little Swanport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmanian temperate forests</span> Ecoregion in Tasmania, Australia

The Tasmanian temperate forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in Australia. The ecoregion occupies the eastern portion of the island of Tasmania, which lies south of the Australian mainland.

Apslawn is a rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of Glamorgan–Spring Bay in the South-east LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about 74 kilometres (46 mi) north of the town of Triabunna. The 2021 census recorded a population of 15 for the state suburb of Apslawn.

Dolphin Sands is a rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of Glamorgan–Spring Bay in the South-east LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about 65 kilometres (40 mi) north of the town of Triabunna. The 2016 census recorded a population of 126 for the state suburb of Dolphin Sands.

References

  1. ↑ Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania, Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve , Accessed October 27, 2008
  2. ↑ Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania, Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve - Highlights , Cultural Values. Accessed October 27, 2008
  3. ↑ Michael Nash, The bay whalers; Tasmania's shore-based whaling industry, Naverine, Canberra, 2003, p.152.
  4. ↑ Tasmanian Government, Review of the Great Oyster Bay and Mercury Passage Marine Farming Development Plan OCTOBER 1998. Accessed October 26, 2008
  5. ↑ Oyster farmers winning against water weeds ABC News, May 6, 2008. Accessed October 26, 2008.

42°11′S148°09′E / 42.183°S 148.150°E / -42.183; 148.150