- Marion Bay, Tasmania
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Marion Bay is a large bay and a bounded locality located on the southeast coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is near Dunalley in the Municipality of Sorell. Its south-western shore is contained by the Marion Bay Important Bird Area.
Contents
Discovery
Abel Tasman first anchored just North of a small island in the South of this large bay in 1642, he landed in the area he named Frederick Henricx Bay[1] (now Blackman Bay). The bay was named after the Frenchman Marion du Fresne, who arrived in his ship the "Mascarin" with the "Marquis de Castries" in March 1772. Marion recorded that "One sailor found numbers of crayfish, lobsters and huge crabs,and the oysters there are good and abundant" [2] Marion’s landing is the first recorded sighting and description of the Tasmanian people by Europeans, unfortunately one of the Tasmanians was shot dead by Marion‘s men. Marion then sailed to New Zealand where he was killed by Māori in the Bay of Islands.
Festival
It was host to the first Tasmanian Falls Festival in December 2003. It attracted over 10000 people and has become an annual event, as has the festival's Victorian counterpart.
Army Worm Infestation
In December 2008, an infestation of Army worms in Marion Bay was reported in the national media. Despite the problems residents encountered, infestations of this sort are apparently common wherever the worms are.(Video) In October 2008 a general alert was sounded that such infestations would likely occur.[3]
References
- ^ The Tasman Map 1644 - held by The Mitchell Libray, Sydney.
- ^ page 37-40 The Early History of Tasmania by R.W.Giblin
- ^ http://www.abc.net.au/rural/tas/stories/s698146.htm
Coordinates: 42°47′49″S 147°55′23″E / 42.797°S 147.923°E
Categories:- East Coast Tasmania
- Towns in Tasmania
- Bays of Tasmania
- Tasmania geography stubs
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