Captain John Moresby of HMS Basilisk landed at the inner reaches (Hanuabada) which he named Fairfax Harbour. At 10 am on 20 February 1873 he named the surrounds Port Moresby in honour of his father Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby.
In 1905 the Federal Government of Australia passed the Papua Act which transferred Papua, with Port Moresby as the capital, to direct Australian rule. The Act came into effect in 1906.
