Within Clusters
What really happened over Hobart Bay?
The 1959 Hobart Bay account stands out because trained engineers described objects near Risdon, including one said to enter the Derwent without a splash.
On this page
- Shaw and Newton's reported sequence near Risdon
- Why the water entry detail made the case memorable
- Ordinary explanations and unresolved gaps
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Introduction
The January 1959 Hobart Bay incident is one of Tasmania’s most frequently cited UFO reports because it combined several features that investigators usually look for in a potentially strong case: named witnesses, a daylight observation, detailed notes made close to the event, and witnesses with technical backgrounds. The report centred on two electrical engineers, Alan D. Shaw and W. L. Newton, who were working near Risdon on the eastern side of the Derwent estuary when they claimed to see unusual aerial objects. Most remembered is the assertion that one object appeared to descend into Hobart Bay or the Derwent without producing the splash, spray or disturbance that would normally be expected from an impact with water. [UFOs Scientific Research]ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.coma strange series of sightings hobartUFOs Scientific ResearchA strange series of sightings - Hobart, Tasmania - 195917 Nov 2016 — Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton; bot…
Within Tasmania’s UFO history, the case stands out less because of physical evidence—which was never obtained—and more because of the witness testimony itself. The incident remains unresolved, but the available record is almost entirely dependent on what the two engineers reported seeing.
What really happened over Hobart Bay?
On the morning of 8 January 1959, Shaw and Newton were inspecting electrical infrastructure near the Electrolytic Zinc Company works at Risdon, overlooking the Derwent. According to later summaries and interviews, Shaw first noticed what appeared to be a light-coloured object in the air. What initially looked like a piece of paper caught in an updraft soon seemed, in the witnesses’ view, to behave unlike ordinary wind-blown debris. [Facebook]facebook.comThe ufo filesAt 0920 hrs Shaw drew Newton's attention to what appeared to be a piece of newspaper in the air. The object may have…
The observation reportedly developed into a sequence involving more than one object. The men described bright, metallic-looking forms moving over the water and surrounding landscape. Shaw later prepared a written statement on the day of the sighting, and years afterwards discussed the incident with atmospheric physicist and UFO researcher James E. McDonald, who regarded it as one of the more interesting Australian witness cases because of the detail retained by the observers. [UFOs Scientific Research]ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.coma strange series of sightings hobartUFOs Scientific ResearchA strange series of sightings - Hobart, Tasmania - 195917 Nov 2016 — Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton; bot…
Accounts vary in emphasis, but the broad narrative remained consistent:
- The witnesses were outdoors in daylight.
- Both men claimed prolonged observation rather than a brief glimpse.
- They reported unusual movement that they did not believe matched aircraft.
- One object was said to descend towards the water.
- The witnesses maintained that no obvious splash or disturbance was visible when the object reached the bay area. [UFOs Scientific Research+2Kirk McDonald]ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.coma strange series of sightings hobartUFOs Scientific ResearchA strange series of sightings - Hobart, Tasmania - 195917 Nov 2016 — Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton; bot…
The duration is often given as approximately fifteen minutes, considerably longer than many fleeting sighting reports. [Kirk McDonald]kirkmcd.princeton.edujem tape achives basterfieldSighting Time: 0900 hrs. Location of Sighting: Hobart Bay, Risdon, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Duration of Sighting: 15 minutes.Read more…
Shaw and Newton as witnesses
A major reason the case remained prominent in Australian UFO literature is that Shaw and Newton were not anonymous observers. Both were electrical engineers employed by the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric Commission. Supporters of the case have long argued that technically trained observers should carry greater evidential weight because they are accustomed to judging distance, structure and movement. [UFOs Scientific Research]ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.coma strange series of sightings hobartUFOs Scientific ResearchA strange series of sightings - Hobart, Tasmania - 195917 Nov 2016 — Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton; bot…
However, technical expertise does not automatically eliminate the possibility of misperception. Engineers are not necessarily trained observers of unusual atmospheric phenomena, and estimating the size, speed and distance of unfamiliar objects against a largely featureless sky or water background can be difficult even for experienced professionals. The witnesses’ credentials therefore strengthen the report’s credibility compared with an anonymous account, but they do not resolve the central question of what was actually seen.
Why the water-entry detail became the defining claim
Many UFO reports involve lights or distant objects whose appearance can later be attributed to aircraft, planets, balloons or atmospheric effects. The Hobart Bay case became memorable because of the alleged transition from air to water.
According to the witnesses, an object appeared to descend into the Derwent area without generating the visual effects expected from an impact. Had a solid object struck the water at speed, observers would normally expect a splash, spray plume or visible disturbance. The reported absence of such effects created two competing interpretations.
For UFO proponents, the detail suggested that the object either:
- entered the water in a controlled manner,
- disappeared before reaching the surface,
- or represented something not behaving like a conventional aircraft or physical object. [UFOs Scientific Research]ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.coma strange series of sightings hobartUFOs Scientific ResearchA strange series of sightings - Hobart, Tasmania - 195917 Nov 2016 — Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton; bot…
For sceptical investigators, the same detail raised a different possibility: that the witnesses may have misjudged the object’s distance and line of sight. An object appearing to descend into water can actually pass beyond the horizon, move behind terrain, enter haze, or simply become too distant to resolve. Without independent measurements, it is difficult to determine whether the object genuinely reached the water surface at all.
The water-entry claim therefore became both the case’s strongest and weakest element. It is the feature that made the story distinctive, but it is also the feature most dependent on interpretation rather than direct physical evidence.
How well was the event documented?
Compared with many mid-twentieth-century Australian UFO reports, the documentation is unusually good, though still far from complete.
Several factors favour the case:
- Shaw reportedly prepared notes immediately after the incident.
- The witnesses were named rather than anonymous.
- The event was later discussed with researchers, including James McDonald.
- Shaw reportedly gave presentations about the sighting and prepared illustrative slides recounting the sequence. [UFOs Scientific Research]ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.coma strange series of sightings hobartUFOs Scientific ResearchA strange series of sightings - Hobart, Tasmania - 195917 Nov 2016 — Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton; bot…
These points reduce the risk of the entire story being based on decades-later memory alone.
Yet important limitations remain:
- No known photograph was taken.
- No radar confirmation has been linked to the sighting.
- No physical trace from the alleged water entry was recovered.
- Independent witness corroboration appears limited.
- Precise measurements of distance, altitude and speed were unavailable. [UFOs Scientific Research+2Kirk McDonald]ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.coma strange series of sightings hobartUFOs Scientific ResearchA strange series of sightings - Hobart, Tasmania - 195917 Nov 2016 — Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton; bot…
As a result, the case sits in an intermediate category common in UFO history: stronger than a brief anecdote, but lacking the objective evidence needed for a definitive conclusion.
Ordinary explanations and unresolved gaps
The principal challenge in evaluating the Hobart Bay incident is that nearly every extraordinary aspect depends on visual interpretation.
Several conventional possibilities have been suggested over the years:
Distance error. The witnesses may have viewed an object much farther away than they realised. A distant aircraft or reflective object can appear to descend into water when it is actually travelling beyond the observer’s line of sight.
Atmospheric effects. Bright reflections over water, haze layers and changing light conditions can create misleading impressions of shape and movement. The Derwent estuary can provide complex visual backgrounds, especially when viewed across significant distances.
Wind-borne material or balloons. The sighting reportedly began with something resembling airborne debris. Although the witnesses concluded that the object behaved differently, the initial impression has remained part of sceptical discussion. [Facebook]facebook.comThe ufo filesAt 0920 hrs Shaw drew Newton's attention to what appeared to be a piece of newspaper in the air. The object may have…
Incomplete observation geometry. Without multiple observation points, there is no reliable way to reconstruct the object’s true path. What appeared to be a descent into the bay may have been a perspective effect.
None of these explanations can be demonstrated conclusively from the surviving record. Equally, none of the extraordinary interpretations can be demonstrated conclusively either. The absence of physical evidence leaves the case balanced between competing possibilities.
Why the case still matters in Tasmania’s UFO history
The Hobart Bay report occupies a distinctive place within the broader Hobart and Launceston sighting clusters because it was not merely another report of lights in the sky. It involved identifiable witnesses, a detailed narrative, and an unusual claimed interaction with the Derwent itself. [UFOs Scientific Research]ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.coma strange series of sightings hobartUFOs Scientific ResearchA strange series of sightings - Hobart, Tasmania - 195917 Nov 2016 — Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton; bot…
Its importance lies less in proving an unknown craft entered the water than in illustrating how some Tasmanian cases survived long after the initial newspaper coverage faded. The Shaw–Newton account continued to attract attention because the witnesses remained consistent, technically trained and willing to discuss what they believed they had seen. At the same time, the lack of photographs, instrument records and independent confirmation has prevented the incident from moving beyond the category of an intriguing but unresolved historical sighting.
Within Tasmania’s UFO record, the Hobart Bay case remains one of the state’s clearest examples of a report whose reputation rests almost entirely on witness testimony: detailed enough to resist easy dismissal, yet insufficiently documented to settle the debate.
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Endnotes
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The ufo filesAt 0920 hrs Shaw drew Newton's attention to what appeared to be a piece of newspaper in the air. The object may have...
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Did you capture a UFO sighting in Nubeena, Tasmania?UFO sightings in Hobart, Tasmania, 1959... It descended vertically and entered the w...
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Ufo over Mount Wellington Hobart Tasmania Australiaufo case report: Silver metallic object seen near road above house in Tasmania...
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Documentary of the Boianai, Rabaraba UFO sightings in...Of all of the many kinds of UFO encounters, cases of people going inside UFOs ar...
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Hobart, Tasmania UFO wave 1971-1976 reported sightingsUFO sightings in Hobart, Tasmania, 1959. Emile Kelly Gauthier ▻ THE UFO FILES GROUP...
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Tasmania UFO wave 1971-1976 reported sightingsUFO sightings in Hobart, Tasmania, 1959. Emile Kelly Gauthier ▻ THE UFO FILES GROUP. 1y · P...
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Title: jem tape achives basterfield
Link: https://kirkmcd.princeton.edu/JEMcDonald/jem_tape_achives_basterfield.pdfSource snippet
Sighting Time: 0900 hrs. Location of Sighting: Hobart Bay, Risdon, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Duration of Sighting: 15 minutes.Read more...
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Additional References
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Australian colonist, deputy surveyor, explorer, naturalist and artist Australia...Read more...
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Title: 1960s dr gordon patterson establishes the utias ufo project
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Gordon Patterson establishes The UTIAS UFO...15 Aug 2018 — Throughout the following years, DND maintained a UFO file based on reports su...
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Tasmania UFO sightings history 1959 5 Bizarre Accounts From History of UFO Sightings (74 BC - 1896) // Primary Sources Voices of the Past...
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UFO sightings in the United KingdomThis is a list of notable alleged sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the United Kin...
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Results for 'ufo' | Between 1st Jan 1950 and 31st Dec 1999Your search results for ufo: 6274 newspaper articles contained information abou...
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theblackvault.comA703_580-1-1_Part 2_645647.pdf7 May 1982 — UFO cases or files ore not closed and should additional informctioo be ob...
Published: May 1982
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Title: Global crop circle phenomenon inspired by UFO mystery in Far North Queensland?
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Australia’s Biggest UFO Cover-Up | The Westall Incident (1966)...
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