Montagu Bay, Tasmania

Montagu Bay is a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, located in the City of Clarence on the eastern shore of the Derwent River, about four kilometres from the city centre of greater Hobart. It is a small primarily residential suburb located between Rosny, Rose Bay and Lindisfarne and is centred on a small bay of the same name. The bay has a boat ramp and jetty, and is frequently filled with yachts and other vessels at anchor.HistoryMontagu Bay and its neighbour Rosny were one of the first areas, along with nearby Bellerive to be settled on the eastern shore of Hobart's Derwent River, starting from the 1820s. It soon grew into a small hamlet of a few houses, with a warm, friendly spirit amongst a few residents, who in many cases descended to second and third generations.They were attracted by a fresh water creek which ran into the bay, and still exists as an uncovered storm water canal. The name of a nearby street, Loinah Road, is derived from the local Aboriginal dialect word for "drinking place".The name "Montagu Bay" appears to come from Algernon Montagu, who was an Attorney General and the judge in the fledgling colony. He bought a property of 800acre and house of 14 rooms in the area named Rosny House. It was believed the mansion stood on what is now Balaka Street in Rosny. Rosny House was later known as Montagu House, and was clearly marked on naval charts from 1863.The Eastern Shore of Hobart was slow to develop in comparison to the areas located immediately around Hobart itself. Rosny and Montagu Bay remained a small settlement for most of the 19th century, and first half of the 20th century. The area really started to grow with the opening of the Hobart Bridge in 1943, which met the eastern shore in Montagu Bay.