Here in History: Auckland Point Wharf

A passenger train arriving on the Auckland Point Wharf, Gladstone.

To convey the mail train wagons to the ship’s side, a turntable was constructed in 1899 and a rail link to the jetty was built. Mail vans were placed in front of the passenger train at the railway station and when the train approached the wharf the mail vans were individually placed on the turntable. From there, waterside workers pushed the vans onto the wharf proper and loaded them onto the ship, while return vans had already been unloaded from the vessel. Likewise, the passengers would alight from the train and continue their journey by ship, or they would disembark from the ship and continue their journey by train.