Townsville. Proposed Harbour Works.

Large detailed c.19th map of Townsville, showing the town and harbour with proposed works in 1885.

The establishment of the Townsville port site in 1864 was made to serve pastoralists needs to ship their products from their properties. By 1874 it was evident that the wharves of the Inner Harbour in Ross Creek would soon be no longer be able to handle the anticipated increased maritime traffic and larger ships. 1874 saw the construction of a breakwater as a first step towards increasing the port’s capacity. A year later, William Nesbit, Engineer of Harbors and Rivers, Queensland Government, submitted a plan to increase the port’s capacity through the construction of several long jetties that would also serve as breakwaters, to the west and east of Ross Creek. This was the beginning of the Outer Harbour and Nesbit’s plan was to be the blueprint for port expansion during the decades to follow.