The Port of Brisbane - Part 2: The modern and rapidly expanding port by Gregory Blaxell / Part of the container wharves at Port of Brisbane, January 2009.

Brisbane from early times had specialised wharves including the New Farm Sugar Refinery Wharf erected in 1893 and the Pinkenba Wharf, erected in 1902 and used as a meat export wharf. Other wharves specialising in wool and grain and eventually petroleum products were also a feature.
Right from the beginning, the port of Brisbane, with all its difficulties, expanded. In 1848, 8,000 tonnes of cargo entered the port. By 1853, this had increased to 16,800 tonnes and by 1859, 40,000 tonnes. In 1961, the total tonnage through the port rose to 2.6 million tonnes. By 2007/2008, over 30.2 million tonnes of cargo passed through the port with a total value in excess of $37.5 billion.
There were a number of false starts with the administration of the port, especially after 10 December 1859 when Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony from New South Wales.
1978 – developments taking place at Fisherman Islands. / 2008 – partially developed Port of Brisbane at Fisherman Islands. Additional reclamation work is ongoing to cater for an even greater enlargement of port facilities. 
Eventually, in January 1862, the Port Master of the Department of Ports and Harbours became responsible for the port’s administration. And in July of that year, the Marine Board of Queensland was formed by repealing the Act of the Legislature of NSW that had appointed a Steam Navigation Board (1853) for ports and shipping in Moreton Bay.
Brisbane’s ports are now managed by the Port of Brisbane Corporation (PBC). It is the third largest port in Australia but is the fastest growing. The port is now predominantly located on what was Fisherman Islands at the mouth of the river. This reclaimed area now protrudes into Moreton Bay.
There are other port areas in the Brisbane region and these are shown on the map of the area (p29). The Corporation is also responsible for ports other than Brisbane.
The development of these port facilities has come about by the revolution in the handling of cargoes, either as bulk cargoes or as containerised cargoes.
This change started in the 1960s and has meant that not only wharfage was required but also storage area for both bulk cargoes and containers. Adjacent land is a necessary accoutrement of all bulk and container wharves. Terminals for containers and roll-on, roll-off ships were built at Hamilton and Newstead in 1968. Oil wharves to service refineries came after the discovery of oil from the Moonie Reserve in 1964. These days, the refineries are now dependent on imported crude.
Administration block of the Port of Brisbane.Initial studies for port facilities at Fisherman Islands started in 1971 and site and design work was begun in 1977. The first work entailed the building of a 5km access causeway, two road bridges and a rail bridge linking the islands to the mainland.
The first container terminal was opened on 15 November 1980 and by 1983, the Port of Brisbane Authority had established two container terminals, a bulk coal export facility, a bulk cement import installation and construction had begun on a bulk grain export facility.
Today, the facility has seven dedicated container wharves and more are planned. There is a general-purpose wharf, an oil wharf, a coal and clinker wharf, a grain and woodchip wharf and flexible wharves that can be used for general cargo and motor vehicles.
The area of Fisherman Islands is progressively being enlarged by using the mud dredged from the river overlayed with sand dredged from the channels of Moreton Bay. This is stabilized and capped and wharves, built on piles, form the quayside that bristles with handling equipment.
Dredging to reclaim more of Fisherman Islands in May 2009. The tower in the background was being built as a control room for all cargo movements.The PBC has a strong environmental monitoring and conservation program. Monitoring includes stormwater, groundwater, drinking water, sediment sampling, waste audits, marine plant monitoring especially sea grass and mangroves, shorebirds, feral animal control, fire ants, weed surveys, buffer zones and air quality. These programs are carried out by specialists in the fields and are reported to the PBC who then initiate programs of remediation if required.
An example of one of these programs is the bird count.
Moreton Bay is recognised as a wetland of international significance. Many of the shorebirds that visit the mudflats of Moreton Bay are migratory species protected by the Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and the China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA). These agreements also apply to the wetlands surrounding Homebush Bay in the Parramatta River in Sydney.
A hide allows visitors to view the bird life particularly in the shorebird roost developed as part of the ecological monitoring program of the Port of Brisbane Corporation.Monthly bird counts of the reclamation area and also of the Visitors’ Centre Lake form the basis of the monitoring program. The result of this monitoring program has seen the development of a 12ha shorebird roost, a high tide roosting area that provides habitat for up to 15,000 migratory and resident shorebirds every year. It is claimed to be the largest constructed roost in eastern Australia.
The Visitors’ Centre and lake are important facilities for recreation, education and monitoring the ecology of the area. Bird populations are monitored in areas surrounding the Centre.Monitoring is also carried out in the area around the Visitors’ Centre. The 4ha lake area adjacent to the Visitor’s Centre ranges in depth from 0.5m to 1m and has four distinct habitat areas that include important feeding and roosting areas for many species of birds. The habitat types include open waters, a constructed island, vegetated margins and mown grass flats.
It is reported that there are at least 14 species of birds in the lake habitat including cormorants, pelicans, black swans, ducks, spoonbills, swamphens, stilts, moorhens, ibis, grebes, terns and coots. The lake is regularly harvested of its excessive vegetation growth. This material is then used as mulch for other areas of the port.
Map of wharves from Port of Brisbane (Fisherman Islands) to Hamilton. [Map: from 2009 Port of Brisbane Shipping Handbook, p 16]The Visitors’ Centre is the focal point for visits to the port. The Centre is open six days a week. It contains a restaurant and a café, conference facilities and an interactive display that describes the history and operation of the port. The Centre co-ordinates visits to the shorebird roost.
The PBC has an extensive program of community links with schools, seniors groups and interested visitors to the port. In the years 2007/2008, 6,991 students and teachers participated in 182 port tours.
Aerial view from above the container wharves, looking west towards other Brisbane River cargo facilities.These tours are of two types and are offered at levels from primary to tertiary level students. The PortEd tour focuses on the essential role of international trade and how that trade impacts on all of our lives. The Port Eco Workshops allow students to investigate the elements of sustainable development.
Because Fisherman Islands is a long way from the city, I had to hire a car to get there. I travelled along the highway (built on the original 1977 causeway) and was amazed and a little daunted by the numbers of semis carrying containers and also the number of trucks carrying bulk grain.
Warehouse and container parks on the southern side of the port in March 2008. The undisturbed wetlands/bird roosts are evident on the left of the photo.Although there is a dual gauge railway, it seemed as if the dominant form of transportation was by road. It is argued that up to 70% of the port’s container trade is centred on southeast Queensland so relatively short-hauls to suburban destinations favour road delivery. However, there are plans for a substantial increase in rail traffic on the dual-gauge tracks.  
The interface between the rail, road and sea transport is the Brisbane Multimodal Terminal (BMI) and this facility is also located at Fisherman Islands. Everything that is exported or imported from the port has to go through this giant logistical complex.
In 2009 I experienced some significant delays caused by traffic congestion. These may be sorted as the facility matures, but, on the other hand, getting bigger usually means more or the same and if that is the case, I’m glad I don’t have to drive in the area very often.

* Gregory Blaxell is an historian and author. His latest book is The River: Sydney Cove to Parramatta.