Bell Bay

Tasmania, Australia

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Bell Bay, port and site of a large aluminum-production facility, northern Tasmania, Australia, on the east bank of the River Tamar estuary in George Town municipality. Electric power is supplied primarily from the Trevallyn station on the South Esk River. The first metal was produced there in 1955; operations combine the reduction of alumina from bauxite received from Weipa and Gladstone, Queen., and the production of aluminum. Other activities have included the manufacture of aluminum paint, as well as aluminum powder and paste for explosives. Other metal industries are nearby. Large ore carriers approach Bell Bay via deepwater channels. Some processed materials are shipped through Launceston, 30 mi (50 km) south.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Virginia Gorlinski.