18/07/2026
History forgotton to development. Between 1920 and 1975, Matt Taylor & Co. (also known as Taylor’s Slipway) was one of the most prominent, enduring fixtures of the maritime industry in North Queensland. Operating from its site on the Ross Creek waterfront in South Townsville, the family-run enterprise operated as custom boatbuilders and featured a 60-tonne haul-out slipway. This made the yard a vital hub for repairing and maintaining the regional fishing, pearling, and cargo fleets.
The slipway became critical to the war effort in 1942 when it was utilised to construct rugged, wooden small-craft vessels suited for tropical military operations. Notable among these was the 20-meter wooden launch HMAS Paluma. The Royal Australian Navy deployed the launch to survey uncharted, highly dangerous reefs along the coast of New Guinea. The charts created by the Paluma allowed Allied transport ships to safely supply troops and heavy equipment during the critical Buna-Gona campaign, earning the vessel the New Guinea 1942–43 battle honour.
Following the war, the shipyard returned to commercial enterprise, servicing the regional prawn trawler and commercial fishing fleets. While Cyclone Althea severely damaged the yard's infrastructure and shifted the underwater cradle tracks in 1971, the facility was ultimately repaired, the winches restored, and the cradle tracks cleared. Today, the site remains a fully functional, active maritime facility providing essential maintenance services to commercial and private boat owners, and stands as the last operational piece of the historic industrial waterfront that defined South Townsville over a century ago.
