Marion Bay is a rural / residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of Sorell in the South-east LGA region of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. The locality is about east of the town of Sorell. The 2016 census recorded a population of 72 for the state suburb of Marion Bay. Marion Bay is also a large bay on the south-east coast of Tasmania. Its south-western shore is contained by the Marion Bay Important Bird Area.

History

Marion Bay is a confirmed locality.

European discovery

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch sea explorer, seafarer and exploration, explorer, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first European to reach New ...

first anchored just north of a small island in the southern part of this large bay in 1642, and landed in the area he named Frederick Henricx Bay (made up of what is now called Blackman Bay, Marion Bay and North Bay). The name Frederick Henry Bay was mistakenly moved to its present location by Captain

Tobias Furneaux Captain Tobias Furneaux (21 August 173518 September 1781) was a British navigator and Royal Navy officer, who accompanied James Cook on his second voyage of exploration. He was one of the first men to circumnavigate the world in both direction ...

. Subsequently, Frederick Henricx Bay was later named Marion Bay after the Breton navigator Marion du Fresne, who arrived in his ship ''Mascarin'' with ''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". Marion's landing is the first recorded sighting and description of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania/lutruwita by Europeans. One of the Aboriginal men was shot dead by Marion's men after the Aboriginals turned on them. Marion then sailed to New Zealand where he was killed by

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

in the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for ...

Geography

The waters of Blackman Bay and Marion Bay form the eastern to southern boundaries.

Road infrastructure

Route C337 (Marion Bay Road) runs through from west to south.

Festivals

Marion Bay was home to the Tasmanian edition of the

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve and January period. The festival hosts contem ...

, first held in December 2003. The Marion Bay Festival was the second Falls Festival location, after

Lorne, Victoria Lorne is a town in Surf Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the Louttit Bay and Erskine River and is a popular destination on the Great Ocean Road. At the had a population of 1,114. History Prior to British settlement, Lor ...

commenced in 1993. It became an annual New Year's Eve event, being held for 17 years until 2019, when

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

led to the festival's postponement, and ultimately cancellation. The Festival was run simultaneously alongside other Falls Festivals held in

and

Byron Bay, New South Wales Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah'') is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia (in Bundjalung Country). It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjac ...

, with the Byron Bay festival commencing in 2013. The Bream Creek Show has been taking place in Marion Bay for more than a century. Noted for a display of large pumpkins, the show was first hosted in 1897 in the pavilion at Coppington. It is held every year in March and includes rides for children, wood chopping and other family entertainment.

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. In October 2008 a general alert was sounded that such an infestation was likely to occur.News report
TAS Country Hour, ABC Rural

References

{{authority control East Coast Tasmania Towns in Tasmania Bays of Tasmania Localities of Sorell Council