Port Moresby – the harbour charted and named in 1873
In February 1873 the crew of HMS Basilisk surveyed this stretch of the southern New Guinea coast, and Captain John Moresby named the harbour after his father, Fairfax Moresby; the anchorage off Paga Hill appeared on his charts as Port Moresby. The largest nearby settlement was Hanuabada, five villages of Motu and Koita people organised in clan-like groups called iduhu. From 1873 teachers and missionaries of the London Missionary Society arrived, and the place grew as a trading centre visited by distant communities. During the Second World War it became a major strategic objective. Today it is the capital and largest city of the country. Share your memories and photographs.