This article is about the bay in North Queensland, Australia. For the horse breed, see Cleveland Bay. For the town beside Moreton Bay in Australia, see Cleveland, Queensland.
Cleveland Bay was named by Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook on HM Bark Endeavour on 6 June 1770, probably in honour of John Clevland, Secretary to the Admiralty 1751–1763. However, Cook may have named the bay after the Cleveland Hills near his birthplace of Marton in Yorkshire, England.[1]
The Alligator Creek meatworks was built on the Bay, employing 1500 people at its peak and was a landmark in the area until 1966.[2] The Creek that lead into the Bay had blood rich effluent from the meatworks pumped into it, which may have changed the natural ecosystem and fish stock in the Bay.[2]