The bridge was constructed over a three-year period from 1925. The project was not originally planned to take as long, but there were delays due to problems with a contractor, and industrial action. The bridge was designed to carry the Mildura railway line over the Murray River and into New South Wales, to service significant cross-border traffic arising from the fruit-growing industry, but the line was never extended beyond the terminus at Yelta. The bridge currently carries a single lane of road controlled by traffic lights.
In 1931, there was a major accident at the bridge when a paddle steamer clipped the lift span, tearing apart the upper deck of the boat.
Description
Abbotsford Bridge is a steel Allan truss bridge that is about 240m (790ft) in length.[4] The bridge also contains a single lift span about 20m (66ft) in length, which is still in working order.[6][7] It is two lanes wide through most of its length, but the lift span is only capable of carrying a single lane.[6] The entire bridge has been marked with a single lane and has traffic lights on both ends to control vehicular flow.[8]
The bridge was completed in 1928 by the NSW Department of Public Works and, although opened as a traffic bridge, it was designed to carry the loads required for a railway,[6] once the Mildura railway line had been extended over the bridge.[9][10] The line was never extended beyond Yelta, where the terminus remains to this day.[11][12] The location of the bridge was thought to be convenient, as it provided a link to the Sturt Highway without travelling farther upstream to Mildura. It is the only remaining steel truss bridge with a lift span on the Murray, although other lifting bridges still exist along the river. The bridge was built after the decline in commercial river traffic on the Murray.[6] Due to its significance to the local area, it has been listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.[2]
History
The nearby town of Wentworth was an important river port from which wool was shipped to the coast, and as such there was a variety of traffic in the area. In the 1890s, irrigated farming greatly expanded in Sunraysia region which is known for its fruit production, and traffic volumes increased further. It was decided to install a punt at this location (then known as Abbot's Ford).[6][13]
New South Wales and Victoria had signed an agreement towards constructing bridges for railways over the Murray to serve the settlements on the northern side. In 1923, a report was released that recommended going ahead with the building of four bridges, one of those being the future Abbotsford Bridge. It was said a bridge in this area would benefit Curlwaa, Wentworth, and a proposed irrigation scheme to the north. The cost was estimated at £78,000. It had been considered that it might be appropriate to combine these four bridges with locks, but this idea was rejected due to siting concerns.[14][15]
In 1924, residents of nearby settlements urged construction of the railway line to the proposed bridge site, but they were told this extension of the line was to be delayed.[16] Within that year it was decided that a bridge was to be constructed due to increased traffic volume, and tenders were let for manufacture of the bridge spans, construction of abutments and piles, and transport of materials to the future construction site.[6][17]
Early in 1925, a foundation pile and some tents could be found at the site of the future bridge. Men in the region were also awaiting employment on the structure, and by the middle of the year unemployment problems were becoming a serious issue. Similarly government debt was increasing, although it was still expected the railway line to Abbotsford Bridge would be completed.[18][19] In November, construction started and it was expected that the bridge would be opened around 25 September the following year.[20]
During May 1926, the approach road between Wentworth and the bridge was being progressively metalled, but could not be completed in its entirety until construction of the bridge itself was complete.[21] In June, construction was halted due to contract requirements not being met.[22]
By February the next year, construction had resumed.[23][24] On 8 April 25men working on the bridge went on strike. This was of concern due to time dependent concreting being undertaken at that time. As the construction was considered unemployment relief, the constructing authority began to look for men who would do the work in their places.[25] By 13 April, further details had emerged; the number of the men on strike was actually 32, and it had been caused by the alleged wrongful dismissal of three men who had left for their lunch break early. The strike continued until at least 21 April.[26][27] Work had resumed by early May, and the bridge was reported as being a little over half completed at that time.[10]
It was reported in mid-May that construction work was in progress on the last two piers of the bridge, though low river levels meant that staging could not be installed to allow further work on the bridge framework. The estimated time of completion at this point was by the end of the year.[28] It was noted in early September that the extension of the railway from Yelta was expected to occur once the bridge was completed.[29]
The bridge was still under construction in January 1928, and at that time the estimated date of completion was only a month away.[30] The bridge finally opened to traffic on 14 April.[31][32] The official opening of the bridge by the NSW GovernorDudley de Chair occurred on 10 July, and was celebrated by the cutting of the ribbon and an opening of the gates at each end of the lift span. In return he was presented with a silver cigarette case.[33][34]
A major accident occurred at the bridge in August 1931. The paddle steamer E.R.O. struck the lift span of the bridge. The span had not been raised to a high enough level, causing it to clip the top of the steamer's funnel and rip apart the upper deck. High pressure steam was released during the accident causing some onlookers to believe the boat was on fire. It was at first thought the captain would be found amongst the wreckage of the upper deck, but he had been navigating the boat from the lower deck at that time. The captain displayed considerable skill; he immediately realised that further raising of the span despite being given the all clear meant it was not quite high enough. And through his actions as the boat progressed downstream caught in the current, he prevented the boat becoming stuck at the bridge.[35]
Much like in its early days, the bridge still carries a lot of traffic related to the fruit production industry, especially during picking and harvesting seasons. Bridge lifts are timed to try to avoid traffic delays.[7] Some in the local community consider that the capacity of the bridge is inadequate and impedes commercial activity.[6]
Silver City Highway is a 683-kilometre-long (424 mi) highway that links Buronga, New South Wales to the Queensland border via Wentworth, Broken Hill, and Tibooburra, in the arid Far West region of New South Wales; a short branch also connects to Calder Highway on the Victorian border at Curlwaa. The namesake of the highway is derived from the moniker for Broken Hill – the "Silver City" – which the highway travels through. The highway is designated route B79 from Broken Hill to Buronga.
Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions along the route.
Murray Valley Highway is a 663-kilometre (412 mi) rural highway located in Victoria, Australia, between Euston, New South Wales and Corryong, Victoria. The popular tourist route mostly follows the southern bank of the Murray River and effectively acts as the northernmost highway in Victoria. For all but the western end's last three kilometres, the highway is allocated route B400.
Paringa is a small town in the Riverland of South Australia, 17 kilometres from the border with Victoria. It is known for its vineyards and almond, citrus and stone fruit orchards. Its main feature is a six-span bridge that crosses the River Murray. One of the spans can be raised to allow houseboats and paddle-steamers to pass underneath.
Yelta is a locality in Victoria, Australia. It was for a short time in the 1870s and 1880s the Victorian administrative centre of what is now Sunraysia and the Millewa. This role was then taken over by Mildura. At the 2011 census, Yelta and the surrounding area had a population of 281.
The Mildura railway line is a heavy rail line in northwestern Victoria, Australia. The line runs from Yelta station to Ballarat station via the settlements of Mildura, Ouyen and Maryborough in an approximate south-southeasterly direction. Initial sections of the line opened from Ballarat in 1874 and the line reached Mildura in 1903.
The 1956 Murray River flood involved the rising of waters in the Murray River and flooding of many towns in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The flood was and still is considered the biggest flood in the recorded history of the Murray and described as "the greatest catastrophe in South Australia's history", although few lives were lost.
The PS Ruby, also known as the Paddle Steamer Ruby is the flagship of the historic port of Wentworth, New South Wales at the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers. She is a composite hull paddle steamer that features a 1926 Robey & Co 20 nominal horsepower portable steam engine. Between 1996 and 2007 she was restored to her early 20th-century appearance.
The Robinvale railway line is a freight only country railway line in north-western Victoria, Australia. The line branches from the Mildura line at Dunolly, and at Inglewood the Eaglehawk – Inglewood line connects with the Piangil line outside Bendigo. The parallel Kulwin line junctions from the Robinvale line at Korong Vale then continues northward.
The Geelong–Ballarat railway line is a broad-gauge railway in western Victoria, Australia between the cities of Geelong and Ballarat. Towns on the route include Bannockburn, Lethbridge, Meredith, Elaine and Lal Lal. Major traffic includes general freight from the Mildura line, and grain.
Curlwaa is a locality in New South Wales, Australia.
The 1922 Border Railways Acts, were Acts passed by the Parliaments of both Victoria and New South Wales, which authorised the construction of cross border railways in the Riverina region of Australia. Despite being located in New South Wales, the region was closer economically to Victoria and its railway network, operated by Victorian Railways. Another complication was that Victorian Railways used the 1,600 mm broad gauge, while the New South Wales Government Railways used 1,435 mm standard gauge.
This is a list of captains and boat owners and others important in the history of the Murray-Darling steamer trade, predominantly between 1850 and 1950.
The Morkalla railway line was a railway in the Millewa region of north-western Victoria, Australia. It extended west from Red Cliffs railway station on the Mildura railway line into wheat farming areas established as soldier settlements after World War I.
The Barmera railway line was the second railway built to develop the Murray Mallee region of South Australia, in 1913. It followed the success of the Pinnaroo railway line in 1906. Both lines branched east from Tailem Bend to the north of the main Melbourne–Adelaide railway. The Brown's Well line was the more northerly, and extended into country which had not been developed much before the railway, partly due to the absence of any viable transport route for produce. The original terminus of the Brown's Well railway was at Meribah, not far from the Victorian border.
The Paringa Bridge carries the Sturt Highway across the Murray River in Paringa, South Australia. Until 1982, it also carried the Barmera railway line.
Old Cobram-Barooga Bridge is a heritage-listed former road bridge and now footbridge over the Murray River at Barooga-Cobram Road, Barooga, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge links Barooga with Cobram, its sister town in Victoria. It was designed by Ernest de Burgh (engineer) and the New South Wales Department of Public Works and built from 1900 to 1902. It is also known as RMS Bridge No 3247. It is owned by Transport for NSW. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 1 April 2016.
The Tooleybuc Bridge is a dual heritage-listed road bridge that carries Tooleybuc Road across the Murray River, located in Tooleybuc, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1925. The bridge is owned by the Transport for NSW, and is also called the Tooleybuc Bridge over Murray River. The bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000 and the Victorian Heritage Register on 10 July 2008.
The George Chaffey Bridge is a road bridge in Australia that carries the Sturt Highway across the Murray River from Buronga to Mildura.
↑ Waugh, Andrew (February 2003). "Midura–Yelta"(PDF). Signalling Histories. pp.4–5. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
↑ "Interactive Map". Land Channel. Department of Environment and Primary Industries. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
↑ Hassell Planning Consultants Pty Ltd, in association with Colin Pardoe (September 2001). "Heritage of the Wentworth Shire". Wentworth Shire Heritage Study. Wentworth Shire Council. Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
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