Bell Bay, Tasmania

Bell Bay
Interactive map of Bell Bay
Bell Bay, Tasmania is located in Tasmania
Bell Bay, Tasmania
Location within Tasmania
Location
LocationBell Bay, Tasmania
Coordinates41°07′50″S 146°51′33″E / 41.130444°S 146.859199°E / -41.130444; 146.859199
UN/LOCODEAUBEL
Details
Operated byTasPorts
Size2,000 hectares (20 km2)
No. of berths12
Draft depth11.2 m.
Rail linesBell Bay
Rail gauge1067mm
Street accessEast Tamar Highway
Truck typesB-Double
Statistics
Annual cargo tonnage
3.6 million tonnes (2021)
Annual TEU
20,299 (2021)
Website
www.tasports.com.au

Bell Bay is an industrial centre and port located on the eastern shore of the Tamar River, in northern Tasmania, Australia. It lies just south of George Town. In the year ended June 2021, 3.6 million tonnes of exports and imports passed through Bell Bay.

History

Bell Bay Post Office opened on 18 September 1951 and closed in 1973.

Industry

The Bell Bay Power Station was decommissioned in 2009, replaced by the Tamar Valley Power Station built next door.[citation needed]

Bell Bay aluminium smelter started operating in 1955. As of June 2025 it is operated by Rio Tinto (previously by Comalco).

Manganese smelter

A manganese alloy smelter built by BHP, known as the Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO) opened on 11 May 1962 produces ferromanganese and silicomanganese. BHP sold the plant to a Billiton subsidiary, Samancor, in 1998. BHP merged with Billiton in 2001, and so TEMCO came under the company's ownership again.

In 2021 it was bought by Sanjeev Gupta's Liberty Steel Group (parent company GFG Alliance), becoming known as Liberty Bell Bay. It is the only commercial ferroalloy operation in Australia. In May 2025 the smelter began a phased shutdown, due to a shortage of ore, beginning with a period of "limited operations". Tropical Cyclone Megan damaged infrastructure of South32's GEMCO, their main supplier of ore, in March 2024. The Premier of Tasmania, Jeremy Rockliff, requested assistance from the federal government in May 2025. The smelter ceased operating in mid-June for at least four weeks, with employees having to use up their leave. In March 2026 the company was placed in voluntary administration, with Ernst and Young appointed to wind up its assets. After the administrators were unable to find a buyer for the smelter, its closure was announced on 16 July 2026, putting around 200 employees out of work.

Transport

Bell Bay was connected to the Tasmanian Government Railways network in May 1974, when the 35 kilometre Bell Bay railway line opened, branching off the North East line at Nelson Creek to the north of Launceston. Primarily built to carry logs for export, today it carries intermodal containers to and from the port.

Berths

The first Bell Bay wharf was opened in 1927. As of June 2025 it has seven berths, which cater for cargo from the various industries in Bell Bay, along with others.

References

  1. ↑ "UNLOCODE (AU) - AUSTRALIA". www.unece.org. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Port of Bell Bay, Australia". www.findaport.com. Shipping Guides Ltd. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Annual report for year ended 30 June 2021 TasPorts
  4. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "About us". About us. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  6. 1 2 "TEMCO". University of Tasmania. 11 May 1962. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  7. 1 2 "LIBERTY Steel Australia". LIBERTY Steel Group. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  8. 1 2 Thomson, Olivia (20 May 2025). "Liberty Bell Bay operations halted". Australian Mining. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Moran, Jessica; Gibson, Jano (19 May 2025). "Liberty Bell Bay smelter in Tasmania's north enters 'limited operations', no 'forced redundancies'". ABC News. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  10. ↑ Tasmania, Pulse (19 May 2025). "Tasmania's Liberty Bell Bay smelter halts production amid ore supply crisis". Pulse Tasmania. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "Statement from the Premier". Premier of Tasmania. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  12. ↑ Donnellan, Angelique; Coulter, Ellen (10 June 2025). "GFG Alliance workers across Australia face an uncertain future as Sanjeev Gupta's financial woes worsen". ABC News. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  13. ↑ Holmes, Adam (23 March 2026). "Liberty Bell Bay placed into voluntary administration after years of GFG Alliance financial struggles". ABC News. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  14. ↑ Gibson, Jano; Smith, Emily (16 July 2026). "Closure of manganese smelter Liberty Bell Bay devastates community in northern Tasmania". ABC News. Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Bell Bay News Tasmanian Rail News issue 87 February 1973 page 2
  16. ↑ Bell Bay's First Train T'Rails June 1974 page 1
  17. ↑ Bell Bay Railway starts up business Railway Transportation August 1974 pages 20-24, 32
  18. ↑ Activity Map TasRail
  19. ↑ Bell Bay Wharf Launceston Examiner 16 June 1927 page 4
  20. ↑ "Port Information". Bell Bay Port Information. Retrieved 11 June 2025.

41°07′00″S 146°52′00″E / 41.11667°S 146.86667°E / -41.11667; 146.86667