The scene is observed from the old Barker Quarry site on Bowen Terrace, New Farm, with soil and rocks dominating the foreground of the painting. The painting shows Brisbane’s bustling commercial wharves, with views towards the Brisbane botanical gardens and across to the sawmill at Kangaroo Point.

Jenner features a variety of ships with their sails and rigging deftly executed, a testament to his experience in the British Navy and his skills as a marine artist. The RMS Quetta is featured in the foreground, steaming downstream along the Brisbane River bound for London, taking on mail, passengers and cargo as she travelled along the Queensland Coast. Tragically, while on a trip to London two years later (February 1890), the Quetta struck an uncharted rock in the Torres Strait, sinking within three minutes and drowning over 120 people. The largest marine disaster of its day, the wreck affected many Queensland families as most passengers hailed from the state.