Hazel Hayward's grandfather John Joseph Craig helped build the breakwall in the late 1890s.

This week the 84-year-old handed some of her photos of that period to the historical museum. 

"The photographs need restoration so it is a good place for them to be," Ms Hayward said. 

Ms Hayward's grandfather died before she born and her knowledge of the building of the breakwall was passed on by her father.

"My grandfather had a horse where he used to pull the trolley out on the tram line with a big boulder on it.

"At a certain stage the horse released from the cart and jumped into the river and came out and the truck went on further and put the rock off," Ms Hayward said.

The breakwall is made with rocks from a quarry where the Birpai Local Aboriginal Land Council now sits, and to get the rocks to the wall a horse drawn tram was constructed.

Six horse drawn carriages worked to bring the rocks to the wall. 

Curator of the Port Macquarie Historical Museum Debbie Sommers says Ms Hayward's photos will add to the collection the museum already has on breakwall.

"They are very important photos, they are quite old and vulnerable too," Ms Sommers said

"The photos are yet another piece of built heritage which tells the story of how the town and waterways has developed, grown and modified."

The Hayward family have a strong connection to Port Macquarie.

Ms Hayward is a relation of the second mayor of Port Macquarie Frederick Hayward through marriage.

Her husband's grandfather Charles Hayward owned Hayward House and Hayward Street is named after him.