This list documents historical bridges located in New South Wales, Australia. Road, rail and pedestrian bridges are listed. Generally bridges built before World War II (1939) have been included in this list.
Bridge construction in New South Wales started with the needs of the first settlers and continues through to the present day with advanced bridge design. The infant colony had limited expertise and limited materials. As time passed, techniques and materials were developed that allowed greater spans to be crossed and therefore expansion of the colony into otherwise inaccessible areas.
The NSW Public Works Department was under pressure from a cash strapped government to produce as much road and bridge work for as little cost as possible. [1] The cheapest bridge was the timber truss which could be built with local timber.
All bridges are unique in the sense that the bridges were built using various technology, expertise, or materials or how they gained access to an area.
For example, at the time of early settlement, (1788 onwards) NSW was very isolated from the technological advances being developed in Europe and North America. Materials such as cast iron were unavailable to early colonial NSW bridge builders. NSW bridge builders had to rely on their own resourcefulness, bred of isolation, distance and the unique environment to make these bridges.
New South Wales's unusual environment, in general, results in unusual, and extreme river flows. This resulted in almost no water flow for most of the year with some flow each year and extreme floods around once a decade. Inland, the environment causes a low pressure system coming over the continent, due to a large high pressure of the Indian Ocean. This often occurs at summer, at which time it causes cyclone season, although it can occur at any time of year (but not inducing cyclones). At the coast, the cause is the "east coast low", which occurs at similar places at the eastern edge of a number continents, and sees the continent's normal high pressure systems becomes one large and stationary system, perhaps due to doldrums over the west coast's ocean. This phenomenon causes the global trade winds deviate, - inducing the low pressures at polar and tropical latitudes to connect along the east coast - producing a trough situation that mimics a tropical monsoon. An east coast low rain event can occur at any time of the year. Early settlers often replaced washed out bridges with a similarly rudimentary structure, only to see it also washed away in a heavy rain event. The government came to see that this was a major problem holding back economic development in New South Wales.
In solving these problems, colonial NSW embraced the innovations produced by others and adapted them successfully to the unique situations presented. There are examples of some fine 19th-century bridge engineering provided for the railway expansion, conceived mainly by British engineers working in the then isolation of the Australian inland. One examples of many of the newer European techniques that were used was the idea of the cable-stayed bridges.
Australia developed around coastal communities with rudimentary road systems to inland settlements. The early years saw early bridge technology limited very much to the 18th-century European technology of masonry arches and cast iron, the latter still in its infancy and not produced to any great extent in New South Wales.
NSW at the time of early settlement had an abundance of convict labour and had a need for rapid construction. In a country heavily timbered this led to basic timber structure bridges but as the colony gained stability, the government looked towards more permanent structures. Furthermore, as the skills for quarrying and stone dressing became available, masonry bridges began to be designed and built. As all metal materials had to be imported, iron bridges were rarely appropriate and were in any case still too novel for colonial application. Iron bridges were only used for major crossings on important corridors. [2]
Timber truss bridges, and timber bridges generally were so common that NSW was known to travellers as the "timber bridge state". [1]
The following list illustrates the development of New South Wales bridge construction techniques. The list commences from the earlier constructions through to the later developments.
Sorted by date
Built | Name | Location | Image | Construction type (materials) | Length | Use (carries) | In use | Comments | Refs | Coordinates | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||||||
1833 | Lennox Bridge | Glenbrook | Closed-spandrel deck arch | 6 | 20 | Road: Mitchell's Pass: downhill only
| Yes | Lennox Bridge is the oldest stone bridge on the Australian mainland. | [3] | 33°45′15″S150°37′56″E / 33.75417°S 150.63222°E | |
1836 | Lansdowne Bridge | Lansvale | Closed-spandrel deck arch | 33.5 | 110 | Road: Hume Highway
| Yes | Largest span stone arch bridge in Australia. | [4] | 33°53′24″S150°58′01″E / 33.89000°S 150.96694°E | |
1839 | Lennox Bridge | Parramatta | Closed-spandrel deck arch | 27 | 89 | Road: Church Street
| Yes | [5] | 33°48′39″S150°00′16″E / 33.81083°S 150.00444°E | ||
1858 | Pyrmont Bridge | Darling Harbour | Swing bridge
| 369 | 1,211 | Road: Pyrmont Bridge Road
| Yes | At the time of its construction, one of the largest swing spans in the world and it was one of the first to be powered by electricity. | [6] | 33°52′14″S151°12′02″E / 33.87056°S 151.20056°E | |
1861 | Glebe Island Bridge | Rozelle Bay | Viaduct with a small hand-cranked swing-span
| 319 | 1,045 | Road: 1861-1862 | No | Replaced by Blackbutts Bridge (1862–1903). | [7] [8] [9] [10] | 33°52′06″S151°11′09″E / 33.868231°S 151.185731°E | |
1863 | Menangle railway viaduct | Menangle | Arch viaduct
| 145 | 476 | Rail: Main Southern railway | Yes | Spanning the Nepean River and designed by John Whitton, it is the first large iron railway bridge erected in New South Wales. | [11] | 34°07′05″S150°44′37″E / 34.11806°S 150.74361°E | |
1867 | Picton railway viaduct | Picton | Arch viaduct
| 84 | 276 | Rail: Main Southern railway | Yes | Spanning Stonequarry Creek and designed by John Whitton, it is the oldest arch stone railway bridge erected in New South Wales and the first one built for two tracks. | [12] | 34°10′40″S150°36′42″E / 34.17778°S 150.61167°E | |
1867 | Victoria Bridge | Penrith | Box plate girder
| 181 | 594 |
| Yes | Officially, The Nepean Bridge and designed by John Whitton, it is the oldest surviving crossing of the Hawkesbury–Nepean River. | [13] | 33°44′46″S150°40′54″E / 33.74611°S 150.68167°E | |
1867 | Knapsack Viaduct | Lapstone | Arch viaduct | 118 | 387 |
| Yes | Designed by John Whitton, the viaduct was initially part of the Lapstone Zig Zag, subsequently deviated via the Glenbrook Tunnel. | [14] | 33°46′00″S150°37′00″E / 33.76667°S 150.61667°E | |
1867 | Prince Alfred Bridge | Gundagai | Warren truss
| 921 | 3,022 |
| Yes | The first iron truss bridge in NSW. Main spans were used for local traffic only, after Hume Highway bypassed Gundagai. Timber spans subsequently declared unsafe for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. | [15] | 35°04′25″S148°06′26″E / 35.07361°S 148.10722°E | |
1869 | The Great Zig Zag | Clarence | Arch viaducts | 7,000 | 22,966 |
| Yes | Designed by John Whitton, the zig zag was bypassed via the Ten Tunnels Deviation in 1910. Part of the railway line was subsequently used as a narrow gauge tourist railway. | [16] [17] [18] [19] | 33°28′19″S150°11′43″E / 33.471939°S 150.195326°E | |
1870 | Bowenfels rail viaduct | Bowenfels | Arch viaduct
|
| No | The stone viaduct (foreground) was built in 1870; and the brick viaduct (background) completed in 1921 that duplicated the railway line and superseded the 1870 viaduct. | [20] | 33°28′22″S150°07′38″E / 33.472773°S 150.127141°E | |||
1870 | Marrangaroo railway viaduct | Marrangaroo | Arch viaduct
|
| No | A single-track stone viaduct was built in 1870; and a double-track brick viaduct completed in 1923 that duplicated the railway line and superseded the 1870 viaduct. | [21] [22] | 33°26′17″S150°06′44″E / 33.438177°S 150.112180°E | |||
1870 | Denison Bridge | Bathurst | Steel American Pratt truss | Road | Yes | Now pedestrian only | [23] | 33°25′02″S149°35′31″E / 33.41722°S 149.59194°E | |||
1870 | Mudgee Road Bridge | Wallerawang | Stone | Road | Yes (private) | 33°24′47″S150°05′54″E / 33.412946°S 150.098262°E | |||||
1870 | Coxs River Bridge | Wallerawang | Arch viaduct
|
| No | A single-track stone viaduct was built in 1870; and a double-track brick viaduct completed in 1923 that duplicated the railway line and superseded the 1870 viaduct. | [24] | 33°24′20″S150°04′59″E / 33.405507°S 150.083188°E | |||
1873 | Hay Bridge | Hay | Lattice girder swing bridge
| Road | No | Demolished when the new road bridge opened in 1973 | [25] [26] | 34°30′59″S144°50′33″E / 34.516279°S 144.842368°E | |||
1874 | Windsor Bridge | Windsor | Road | Yes | [27] | 33°36′11″S150°49′20″E / 33.603163°S 150.822183°E | |||||
1881 | Nowra Bridge | Nowra | Steel Whipple Truss | 342 | 1,122 | Road | Yes | Closed To Traffic in 2023 Only Walking and Cyclists Only | [28] | 34°51′51″S150°36′07″E / 34.86417°S 150.60194°E | |
1881 | Gladesville Bridge (the 1881 bridge) | Drummoyne | Road | No | Demolished when the new road bridge opened in 1964 | [29] | 33°50′32″S151°08′35″E / 33.84222°S 151.14306°E | ||||
1881 | Dubbo Rail Bridge | Dubbo | Wrought iron lattice girder bridge | Rail | Yes | [30] | 32°14′38″S149°35′39″E / 32.24389°S 149.59417°E | ||||
1882 | Peel River Bridge | Tamworth | Iron lattice girder | 3,000 | 914 | Rail | Yes | [31] | 31°05′06″S150°55′23″E / 31.084959°S 150.923141°E | ||
1885 | Como Bridge | Como - Oatley spanning the Georges River | Lattice girder bridge | Pedestrian, Viaduct (formerly Rail) | Yes | "The Como Rail Bridge is significant as the longest single track lattice girder bridge in New South Wales and is a rare example of this type Historically, the bridge contributed to the opening up of the southern suburbs of Sydney in the 1880s. While the rail infrastructure has largely been removed from the bridge, it continues to serve an important function, supporting the Woronora to Penshurst Water Supply Pipeline, part of Sydney's fifth water supply system. It also provides an important pedestrian link across the Georges River." | [32] | 33°59′42″S151°04′15″E / 33.99500°S 151.07083°E | |||
1886 | Three trestles | Main North Line | Timber Queen post truss viaduct on wooden trestles | Rail | No | Three of five bridges built Beardy Waters, Severn River, Bluff River | [33] [34] [35] | 29°38′17″S151°46′50″E / 29.638055°S 151.780665°E 29°34′55″S151°48′09″E / 29.581967°S 151.802520°E 29°12′01″S152°01′00″E / 29.200395°S 152.016721°E | |||
1886 | Meadowbank Bridge | Meadowbank | Truss Bridge | Rail | Yes | Now bicycles and pedestrians only. New John Whitton Bridge was built to replace the original bridge in 1980. | [36] | 33°49′19″S151°05′20″E / 33.82194°S 151.08889°E | |||
1888 | Brewarrina Bridge | Brewarrina | Wrought iron lift bridge with timber beam approaches | 91 | 299 | Road | Yes | Now pedestrian only | [37] | 29°56′51″S146°51′48″E / 29.94750°S 146.86333°E | |
1888 | Mulga Street Bridge | Oatley | Double stone culvert | Road | Yes | Now covered with modern roadwork, the stonework is still visible from Myles Dunphy Reserve. | [38] | 33°58′50″S151°4′40″E / 33.98056°S 151.07778°E | |||
1888 | Sunnyside | Tenterfield | Timber Queen post truss viaduct on stone trestles | rail | no | Sunnyside rail bridge over Tenterfield Creek | [39] | 28°59′08″S151°56′58″E / 28.985426°S 151.949414°E | |||
1891 | Murrumbidgee River railway bridge | Wagga Wagga | Wrought iron lattice truss | Rail | No | Removed in 2007 | [40] | 35°6′57″S147°22′58″E / 35.11583°S 147.38278°E | |||
1892 | Yass Town rail bridge | Yass | Truss | Rail | No | disused | [41] | 34°50′21″S148°54′22″E / 34.839217°S 148.906229°E | |||
1893 | McKanes Falls Bridge | Lithgow | McDonald truss | 27 | 89 | Road | Yes | [42] | 33°32′58″S150°07′28″E / 33.5495°S 150.1244°E | ||
1895 | Wilcannia Bridge | Wilcannia | Steel truss bridge | Road | No | Accessible to public. Used to carry Barrier Highway and spans over Darling River. | [43] | 31°33′37″S143°22′47″E / 31.56028°S 143.37972°E | |||
1895 | Tharwa Bridge | Tharwa | Timber Allan Truss | Road | Yes | [44] | 35°30′31″S149°04′14″E / 35.508579°S 149.070539°E | ||||
1895 | Hampden Bridge | Wagga Wagga | Timber Allan Truss | 100.5 | 330 | Road | Yes | Closed to public. To be demolished in 2013 | [45] | 35°6′3″S147°22′7″E / 35.10083°S 147.36861°E | |
1897 | Victoria Bridge | Picton | Timber Allan Truss | 80 | 262 | Road | Yes | tallest trestle in NSW | [46] | 34°10′49″S150°36′38″E / 34.18028°S 150.61056°E | |
1897 | Wallaby Rocks Bridge (Turon River) | Wallaby Rocks | Allan timber truss | 106.7 | 350 | Road | Yes | [47] | 33°04′26″S149°38′59″E / 33.07389°S 149.64972°E | ||
1898 | Hampden Bridge | Kangaroo Valley | suspension with sandstone turrets | 80 | 262 | Road | Yes | [48] | 34°43′40″S150°31′16″E / 34.72778°S 150.52111°E | ||
1898 | Morpeth Bridge | Morpeth | Allan truss | 250 | 820 | Road | Yes | [49] | 32°43′26″S151°37′36″E / 32.7237684729°S 151.6265683110°E |
The Allan truss bridge is named after Percy Allan, a famous Australian engineer who designed this bridge type. His design consisted of vertical and diagonal arrangements comprising a combination of timber and iron elements. The timber elements were designed to be in compression and the iron elements in tension. Allen's design followed extensive testing of Australian hardwoods by Prof. Warren and his early engineering students at Sydney University. The timber used was mostly ironbark because of its high strength. Other features of Allan's truss design included design to minimize later maintenance and/or replacement of elements. For this reason the trusses were built in pairs to facilitate work on a particular element without requiring the whole bridge to be supported, as was the case with previous timber designs. Allan's design was very cost-effective.
The Hampden Bridge in New South Wales Australia was the first of a larger style bridge to be built on Percy Allan’s design [67] with the Tharwa Bridge pre-dating it.
Harvey Dare was a leading engineer in the Public Works Department, and a prominent figure in early 20th century NSW. He was a designer of bridges and he developed the Dare Truss which was similar to the Allan truss but contained improvements which made them stronger and easier to maintain. This engineering enhancement represents a significant evolution of the design of timber truss bridges, and gives Dare trusses some technical significance. Dare Trusses were the fifth of the five stages of evolution of timber truss road bridges in NSW. [1]
In 1998 there were 27 surviving Dare trusses in NSW of the 40 built, and 82 timber truss road bridges survive from the over 400 built. [1]
The Grafton Bridge is a heritage-listed bascule truss bridge that carries Bent Street and North Coast railway line across the Clarence River in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge links the Grafton central business district with South Grafton, and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The City of Lithgow is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Great Western Highway and the Main Western railway line.
The Victoria Bridge is a heritage-listed timber trestle truss road bridge across the Stonequarry Creek, located at Prince Street in the south-western Sydney town of Picton in the Wollondilly Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The bridge is owned by Transport for NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The bridge is also known as the Victoria Bridge over Stonequarry Creek. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000. Designed by Percy Allan and opened on 7 October 1897, Victoria Bridge employs Allan trusses and was built by C. J. Ford of Sydney.
The Goodradigbee River Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries Main Road across the Goodradigbee River in Wee Jasper, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Percy Allan and built in 1896 by W. J. Lansdown. The bridge is also known as the Wee Jasper Bridge over Goodradigbee River. The bridge is owned by Transport for NSW. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.
The Dubbo rail bridge over Macquarie River – Wambuul is a heritage-listed railway bridge on the Main Western line across the Macquarie River, located west of the Dubbo central business district in New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Whitton as the Engineer-in-Chief for the New South Wales Government Railways. The bridge was built during 1884 by Benjamin Barnes, with ironwork by Cochrane & Co, Middlesborough, England. The railway bridge is also known as the Dubbo Lattice Railway Bridge. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 and was listed on the Register of the National Estate on 18 April 1989.
The Coonamit Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries Swan Hill Road across the Wakool River, connecting Mallan and Dilpurra in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The bridge was designed by Harvey Dare and built in 1929. The bridge is owned by Transport for NSW and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.
The Ingalara Creek railway bridge is a heritage-listed former railway bridge that carried the Bombala railway line across Ingalara Creek at Michelago in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Whitton in his capacity as Engineer-in-Chief for Railways and built in 1889. It is also known as the Michelago Rail Bridge over Ingalara Creek and the Ingalara Creek Railway Viaduct. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. On 1 December 2020, changes were made to exemptions relating to the bridge's heritage status.
The Bredbo River railway bridge is a heritage-listed former railway bridge carrying the Bombala railway line over the Bredbo River at Bredbo in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Whitton in his capacity as Engineer-in-Chief for Railways and built from 1881 to 1889. It is also known as the Bredbo Rail Bridge and the Bredbo River Railway Viaduct. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. On 1 December 2020, changes were made to exemptions relating to the bridge's heritage status.
The Paterson River bridge, Vacy is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries Gresford Road across the Paterson River located in Vacy, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated about 300 metres south of the junction of Gresford Road and Summer Hill Road. The bridge was designed by Percy Allan and built in 1888 by Taylor and Littleproud. The bridge is also known as the Vacy Bridge over Paterson River. The bridge is owned by Transport for NSW. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.
The Williams River bridge, Clarence Town is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries Limeburners Creek Road across the Williams River located in Clarence Town, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the New South Wales Public Works Department and built by J. K. McKenzie. The property is owned by Transport for NSW. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.
The Manilla railway underbridges are two heritage-listed railway bridges located on the Tamworth-Barraba railway line in the town of Manilla in the Tamworth Regional Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The underbridges are owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The two sites were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Peel River railway bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge that carries the Main North line across the Peel River connecting North Tamworth to Taminda, both in the Tamworth Regional Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The railway bridge was designed by John Whitton as the Engineer-in-Chief for Railways and built during 1882 by J. S. Bennett, with iron work by J. & C. Brettell, Worcester, England. The bridge is also known as the Tamworth rail bridge over Peel River and the Tamworth Lattice Railway Bridge. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 and was added to the Register of the National Estate on 18 April 1989.
Colemans Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries Union Street across the Leycester Creek in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Harvey Dare and built in 1907 by W. F. Oakes. The bridge is owned by Transport for NSW. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.
Murrumbidgee River railway bridge is a heritage-listed disused railway bridge on the Tocumwal railway line crossing from Narrandera to Gillenbah, both in Narrandera Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Whitton in his capacity as Engineer-in-Chief for Railways, and built in 1884–85 by Halliday & Owen with ironwork supplied by English firm Westwood, Baillie. It is also known as Narrandera Lattice Railway Bridge. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 and was added to the Register of the National Estate on 15 May 1990.
The Queanbeyan railway bridges over Queanbeyan and Molonglo Rivers are two heritage-listed railway bridges that carry the Bombala railway line in the Queanbeyan-Palerang Region local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Both bridges were built between 1926 and 1927. The westernmost bridge crosses the Queanbeyan River from Queanbeyan to Queanbeyan East at 35.3424°S 149.2317°E, while the easternmost bridge crosses the Molonglo River at Burbong at 35.3371°S 149.3191°E. The two railway bridges are owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. Together, the two bridges were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Hinton Bridge over Paterson River is a heritage-listed road bridge that carrier the Hinton-Morpeth Road across the Paterson River at Hinton, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge was designed by Ernest de Burgh and built in 1901. The bridge is owned by Transport for NSW. The bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.
The MacDonald River bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries St Albans Road across the MacDonald River at St Albans, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Ernest de Burgh and built by John Ahearn and Son. It is also known as Norton Bridge. The property is owned by Transport for NSW. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.
Emu Plains Underbridge is a heritage-listed steel truss railway underbridge located off Bruce Neale Dr approximately 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) west of the Penrith railway station in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith in the City of Penrith local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by James Fraser, the existing lines branch and the New South Wales Government Railways. It was built in 1907, with fabrication by R. Tulloch & Co.; and erection by day labour. It is also known as Emu Plains Underbridge and Penrith Underbridge. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 28 June 2013.
The Glennies Creek Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries the Rixs Creek-Falbrook Road across the Glennies Creek, located at Middle Falbrook, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge was designed by Ernest de Burgh and built in 1902-03 by William Murphy and James Taylor. The property is owned by Transport for NSW. The bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.
The Wollombi Brook bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries Putty Road across the Wollombi Brook at Bulga, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge was designed by Harvey Dare and built in 1912. The bridge is owned by Transport for NSW. The bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000.
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