Cleveland Bay (Queensland)

This article is about the bay in North Queensland, Australia. For the horse breed, see Cleveland Bay. For the town beside Moreton Bay in Australia, see Cleveland, Queensland.

Cleveland Bay
Townsville seen from Cleveland Bay
Cleveland Bay
Location	North Queensland
Coordinates	19°13′05″S 146°55′19″E
Part of	Coral Sea
Islands	Magnetic Island

Cleveland Bay is a bay on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Coral Sea and, administratively, is within the City of Townsville.

Entrance to the bay is marked by the Cape Cleveland Light and in earlier years by the Bay Rock Light on Magnetic Island.

History

Cleveland Bay was named by Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook on HM Bark Endeavour on 6 June 1770, probably in honour of John Clevland, Secretary to the Admiralty 1751-1763. However, Cook may have named the bay after the Cleveland Hills near his birthplace of Marton in Yorkshire, England.

The Alligator Creek meatworks was built on the Bay, employing 1500 people at it’s peak and was a landmark in the area until 1966. The Creek that lead into the Bay had blood rich effluent from the meatworks pumped into it, which may have changed the natural ecosystem and fish stock in the Bay.