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Home » Themes » Landscape » Exploration
Discovery of Port Denison Print Page 
The obelisk commemorates the European discovery of Port Denison by Captain Sinclair and the crew of the Santa Barbara in 1859. The obelisk was unveiled on the 75th anniversary of the landing . The plaque on the obelisk also commemorates the settlement of Bowen by George Dalrymple in 1861.
The town of Bowen really dates back to 1859 when Captain Henry Daniel Sinclair sailed from Rockhampton in the 9-ton ketch Santa Barbara in search of a suitable port north of Rockhampton. He found a good harbour which he named Port Denison (after the Governor of New South Wales) and returned south to claim a reward only to find that Queensland was about to become a separate colony and neither the old colony nor the new one was prepared to reward his discovery.
Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld), 22 October 1934.
Location
Address: | Santa Barbara Parade, Santa Barbara Park , Bowen, 4805 |
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State: | QLD |
Area: | AUS |
GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -20.016675 Long: 148.249198 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
Monument Type: | Monument |
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Monument Theme: | Landscape |
Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
Actual Event Start Date: | 16-October-1859 |
Designer: | Mr H. D. Hawkins (decorative bronze plate) |
Dedication
Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Thursday 18th October, 1934 |
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Commemorating the discovery of Port Denison on 16th October 1859 by Captain Henry Daniel Sinclair, James Gordon, Benjamin Poole & W. H. Thomas in the "Santa Barbara" and the settlement of Bowen on 12th April 1861 by 111 persons under George Elphinstone Dalrymple Government Representative