[1] Jarvisfield is bounded by the Coral Sea to the east, the Burdekin River to the south and Plantation Creek to the north.

After the Separation of Queensland in December 1859, the newly established Queensland Parliament sent further expeditions to assess the potential of the Burdekin River for settlement, leading to the area being officially opened for settlement from 1 January 1861, leading to the "Great Land Grab".

[6] The following year, he selected a large area of land along the lower Burdekin River for a sheep station which he named Jarvisfield after the Antill family estate near Picton.

The present day locality takes its name from the Jarvisfield Station (although it is not as large in area as that pastoral run).

In 1869, Alexander Stuart attempted to grow sugar as did a number of other local farmers but inconsistent rainfall was a problem, so cattle grazing was the most common use of the land in the area.

It was only when it was realised that the freshwater lagoons in the Burdekin Delta could be used for irrigation that the reliable cultivation of sugarcane became possible and far more profitable than cattle grazing.