Ralphs Bay

Ralphs Bay is a body of water in south-east Tasmania, Australia. It is semi-enclosed by the Tranmere / Rokeby peninsula and the South Arm peninsula. 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 to the south-west.

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 because of its importance for the conservation of pied oystercatchers and of the migratorywaders, or shorebirds, of the East Asian – Australasian Flyway.^[1]

Australia's first shore-based whaling station was established in Ralph's Bay at Trywork(s) Point.^[2] It was in operation by 27 September 1805 when the Rev Knopwood recorded in his diary,

At 9 I went across the river to see the tryworks. They had a great quantity of oil casks. Mr Collins brought a 100 ton of oil from Capt Moody of the King George, whaler, which she had caught since she had been in the river.^[3]

The whaling station, which only operated in the winter months, had closed down by 1818.^[4]

Desde 2004, Ralphs Bay ha sido el centro de un debate local sobre el desarrollo urbanístico. Walker Corporation había planeado un importante proyecto en la bahía, cerca de Lauderdale . La propuesta incluía la construcción de un canal y un puerto deportivo , que se conocería como "Lauderdale Quay". Encontró una fuerte oposición por parte de la comunidad local, preocupada de que el proyecto destruyera el hábitat de la fauna autóctona de la zona y redujera el acceso público a la costa.

El 22 de octubre de 2009, la Comisión de Planificación de Tasmania publicó su Borrador de Informe de Evaluación Integrada ^{[ 5 ]} , que destacaba importantes problemas de planificación que parecían indicar que no se aprobaría la propuesta. El 23 de junio de 2010, los Verdes anunciaron la confirmación legal del Área de Conservación de Ralphs Bay, que abarca 171 hectáreas, impidiendo así la construcción de las urbanizaciones propuestas junto al canal. ^{[ 6 ]}

• Transcripción del reportaje de ABC 7:30, 30 de junio de 2004
• Transcripción del reportaje de ABC 7:30, 7 de julio de 2006
• Ralphsbay.com
• Salvemos Ralphs Bay: la comunidad se opone al proyecto urbanístico propuesto.
• Walker Corporation - declaración sobre el proyecto de desarrollo propuesto