History
The waterfront area and wharf have a significant and varied history.
The area was:
- home of the Larrakia people, who for centuries traded with the Macassans (modern Indonesia)
- the site of early Malay/Chinese settlements
- the site of the original landing of European settlers who waded ashore and camped in the ‘gully’ by Fort Hill, and
- the site of the first bomb to land in Australia during World War II.
The area was also the site of the first public gardens, the railway from Frances Creek to the jetty with a station near Stokes Hill, and where Traveler’s Walk marks an old path used to walk from the early camp to the escarpment.