In July 1886 a contract was let which commenced the Great Southern Railway, connecting Albany to Perth. October saw the arrival of the ‘Gulf of St Lawrence’, with 250 tons of iron rail, with 211 migrants to connect a new jetty to the railway. The first pile was ceremoniously rammed, the first of 565 karri piles, by Mrs Young, wife of the WA Land Company Managing Director on 29th March 1887.
The Ship Inn was demolished to make way for the Great Southern Railway. The Inn established in 1843, was located on the shore on the west side of the jetty.
The jetty ran a curved path from the foot, straightening to the head; a total of 518m with a depth at the head of 10m.
The first ship to use the still in-progress jetty was the barque ‘Vivid’, arriving on 17th October, discharging 400 tons of timber.