Walter Taylor | |
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Coordinates | 27°30′21″S152°58′25″E / 27.5058°S 152.9736°E Coordinates: 27°30′21″S152°58′25″E / 27.5058°S 152.9736°E |
Carries | Motor vehicles, pedestrians |
Crosses | Brisbane River |
Locale | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
Official name | Walter Taylor Bridge |
Other name(s) | Indooroopilly Toll Bridge |
Characteristics | |
Design | Suspension bridge |
Total length | 299.7 metres (983 ft) |
Longest span | 182.9 metres (600 ft) |
History | |
Construction cost | £85,000 [1] |
Opened | 14 February 1936 |
Location | |
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The Walter Taylor Bridge is a heritage-listed suspension bridge crossing the Brisbane River between Indooroopilly and Chelmer in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is shared by motor traffic and pedestrians and is the only habitable bridge in the Southern Hemisphere. [2]
The bridge is a similar design to the Hercilio Luz Bridge in Florianópolis, Brazil, with the truss carrying the bridge being above the roadway and meeting the cables at non-uniform heights. This means that the suspension cables actually form the top chord of the truss, and this configuration is known as the Steinman (after its inventor) or Florianópolis type. [3]
The bridge is unique among Brisbane bridges in that the two towers of the bridge house residential accommodation, which were occupied until mid 2010 when the last members of the original tollmaster's family moved out. The Chelmer side of the bridge is bounded by a council park. A pontoon adjacent to this park was washed away in the 2011 flood, and to date has not been replaced. The Walter Taylor Bridge is one of four bridges in close proximity to each other. The others are the Albert Bridge, Indooroopilly Railway Bridge, and the Jack Pesch Bridge.
The bridge was conceived, designed, built and funded by local visionary Walter Taylor, a contractor who lived in Graceville (adjacent to the suburb in Chelmer). Although there was a rail bridge to Indooroopilly and beyond to the northern suburbs of Brisbane, local residents were frustrated because there was no means by which cars could cross the river. Pedestrians had been able to cross the river on the 2 previous Albert Bridges from 1875 to 1893, and from 1895 until the opening of the Walter Taylor Bridge. [4] Construction work began in 1930. [5]
The bridge is a suspension bridge and the support cables were actually surplus support cables used to hold up the incomplete halves of the Sydney Harbour Bridge during its construction. When the bridge opened it had the longest span of any suspension bridge in Australia. [6]
The bridge was opened on 14 February 1936 by the Governor of Queensland, Sir Leslie Wilson, with the final cost (anchorage to anchorage) coming to £85,000. [1] The bridge was operated by as a toll bridge until the 1960s, with a toll collection booth located at the Northern (Indooroopilly) end (see the video link below). During that time, the bridge was known as the "Indooroopilly Toll Bridge". [3] It was operated by Indooroopilly Toll Bridge Limited, of which Taylor was a Director and Company Secretary, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, and with offices in the Central Buildings, Graceville. [7] In its first full year it made a profit of £2581. [8]
After Walter Taylor's death in 1955, the bridge was renamed the Walter Taylor Bridge in his honour in 1956. [4]
The bridge was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. [3]
The Victoria Bridge is a vehicular and pedestrian bridge over the Brisbane River. The current bridge, opened in 1969, is the third permanent crossing erected at this location. Since 24 January 2021, the bridge was closed to general traffic and carried buses, pedestrians and cyclists only.
Albert Bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge of steel truss design crossing the Brisbane River between Indooroopilly and Chelmer in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Henry Charles Stanley and built from 1894 to 1895 by John McCormick & Son as a replacement for an earlier bridge lost to flooding in 1893. Both bridges were named in honour of the Prince of Wales, Prince Albert. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
The Jack Pesch Bridge is a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists which crosses the Brisbane River. The bridge is named in honour of Jack Pesch, a cycling champion during the 1930s. He subsequently ran a bicycle shop in Petrie Terrace, Brisbane, until the mid-1990s, selling and servicing his own 'Rocket' cycles and cycle parts.
Hornibrook Bridge is a heritage-listed mostly-demolished road bridge on the Hornibrook Highway over Hays Inlet at Bramble Bay from Brighton, City of Brisbane to Clontarf, Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Manuel Hornibrook and built from 1932 to 1935 by Manuel Hornibrook. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 October 1994.
Indooroopilly railway station is located on the Main line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the Brisbane suburb of Indooroopilly. Immediately south of the station, the line crosses the Brisbane River via the Albert Bridge.
Graceville railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at 110 Long Street, Graceville, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is on the Main line, serving the suburb of Graceville. It was designed by John Sidney Egan and Jan Kral and built from 1958 to 1959 by Railways Department. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 12 June 2009.
Oxley is a south-western suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 10.8 kilometres (6.7 mi) from the Brisbane CBD. It was named after the early Australian explorer John Oxley. The suburb supports a mix of residential, retail and industrial land.
The Hercílio Luz Bridge, located in Florianópolis, the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil, is the first bridge constructed to link the Island of Santa Catarina to the mainland.
Indooroopilly is a riverside suburb west of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Indooroopilly had a population of 12,242 people.
Chelmer is a south-western suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Chelmer had a population of 2,998 people.
Graceville is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Graceville had a population of 4,634 people.
Indooroopilly was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland from 1992 to 2017.
The Indooroopilly Railway Bridge is a railway bridge of steel truss design which crosses the Brisbane River, Queensland, Australia. The Indooroopilly Railway Bridge links Indooroopilly and Chelmer stations, and has two long spans with one central pier. It was built just upstream and parallel to the Albert Bridge as part of the quadruplication of the Ipswich Line between 1955 and 1957.
Walter Taylor (1872–1955) was an Australian visionary and builder of many Brisbane landmarks. His most notable works are the Walter Taylor Bridge and the Graceville Methodist church, both of which are heritage-listed buildings.
The Shire of Sherwood is a former local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in south-western Brisbane in and around the suburb of Sherwood.
Graceville Uniting Church is a heritage-listed churchyard at 215 Oxley Road, Graceville, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed and built by Walter Taylor from 1917 to 1951. It was previously known as Graceville Methodist Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 September 1999.
Victoria Bridge Abutment is a heritage-listed road bridge remnant at 74 Stanley Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Alfred Barton Brady and built in 1896 by Arthur Midson. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 August 1992.
Alexandra Railway Bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge adjacent to North Street, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Henry Charles Stanley and built from 1898 to 1899 by George Charles Willcocks. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
The Central Buildings are a heritage-listed series of six shops located at 327 Honour Avenue, Graceville, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. They are located between Verney Road West and Rakeevan Road. They are listed on the Brisbane Heritage Register.
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