Rockhampton Harbour Board

The Rockhampton Harbour Board was established in 1895 by the Rockhampton Harbour Board Act and assumed authority for the Port of Rockhampton in January 1896. The Queensland Government had passed the Harbour Board Act of 1892 in an attempt to decentralise and offload the expense of maintaining Queensland ports due to the financial downturn of the depression. The Harbour Board Act provided for the establishment of Harbour Boards at any Port where there was enough shipping trade to ensure the individual Harbour Boards were self- supporting.[1] The Rockhampton Harbour Board assumed work formerly carried out by the Marine Department, Customs Department, Shipping Agencies and the Municipal Council. To allow it to function, the Board was granted tenure over port lands for the purpose of wharfage or port purposes, and the power to levy harbour dues on all goods discharched or shipped within the harbour, together with the right to lease land and facilities to provide funds for the Board's responsibilities of wharf construction, dredging and provision of other ports needs.[1] The old Rochampton Harbour Board building is a Heritage-Listed office building from 1898