Located in the sheltered Broadwater, the pier and its surrounds was an attraction to visitors in the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century who sailed along the coast or, after the arrival of the railway, traveled down from Brisbane by steam train.

[1] Southport has had a number of jetties along the curve of beach between the mouth of the Nerang River and Deep Water Point in Labrador, some of them operating concurrently, since the 1870s.

[3] Originally owned by Richard Gardiner, in early 1878 the Southport Hotel was sold to William Charles Maund [4] who constructed a substantial jetty the following year.

[8] In January 1880 a deputation of local residents visited the Acting Colonial Treasurer to request that the State Government construct a jetty able to meet their needs.

[12] A second jetty was erected further north near the Pacific Hotel in the vicinity of the intersection of The Esplanade and Nerang Street [13] which, by September 1881, was reported as being partially completed but in use.

The jetty near the mouth of the river could not be used in low tide while the pier in front of the Pacific Hotel was not easily approached by steamers.

The Queensland Government provided the lease for land on the water front and William David Nisbet, the engineer of the Harbours and Rivers Department, assisted with specifications and drew the plans.

In 1886 the Southport Divisional Board announced that it intended to build a new pier and goods shed near the site of the 'old jetty near Balmer's hotel' at a cost of £600.

[20] In 1887 the Divisional Board were reporting that the existing jetty at the river mouth remained in private hands but the foreshore and surrounds, which were the responsibly of local government, were suffering from erosion.