Rockhampton Star was a refrigerated cargo ship with the Blue Star Line. Built in 1958 in Birkenhead, England it had a gross tonnage of 10,619 tons. It was sold in 1981 to Festasi Shipping, Panama, renamed Golden Lady, and two years later was sent to the ship-breakers in Bangladesh.

The Outer Harbor of Port Adelaide was opened in January 1908. It enabled the port to handle larger vessels than could use the Port River channel to the Inner Harbor. It had been built after many years of discussion about the best site, as the facilities for landing passengers at Semaphore were very basic and at times dangerous. The Outer Harbor has been steadily expanded and upgraded over the years, dredging keeping pace with the increasing size of ships. The container terminal was added in 1972. Roll-on/roll-off facilities are available for the shipment of cars.

Outer Harbor was and remains the 'easiest to enter of any sheltered harbour on the Australian coast.'