Historic bridges of New South Wales

Bridge construction in New South Wales starts 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

19th century

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 Sydney sandstone	6	20	Road: Mitchell's Pass: downhill only Motor vehicles Pedestrians Bicycles	Yes	Lennox Bridge is the oldest stone bridge on the Australian mainland.	[3]	33°45′15″S 150°37′56″E
1836	Lansdowne Bridge	Lansvale		Closed-spandrel deck arch Sydney sandstone	33.5	110	Road: Hume Highway Motor vehicles Pedestrians	Yes	Largest span stone arch bridge in Australia.	[4]	33°53′24″S 150°58′01″E
1839	Lennox Bridge	Parramatta		Closed-spandrel deck arch Sydney sandstone	27	89	Road: Church Street Motor vehicles Pedestrians	Yes		[5]	33°48′39″S 150°00′16″E
1858	Pyrmont Bridge	Darling Harbour		Swing bridge Ironbark timber Steel central spans	369	1,211	Road: Pyrmont Bridge Road Pedestrians Bicycles only	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″S 151°12′02″E
1861	Glebe Island Bridge	Rozelle Bay		Viaduct with a small hand-cranked swing-span Timber beam deck	319	1,045	Road: 1861-1862	No	Replaced by Blackbutts Bridge (1862–1903).	[7][8][9][10]	33°52′06″S 151°11′09″E
1863	Menangle railway viaduct	Menangle		Arch viaduct Timber Masonry Wrought iron	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″S 150°44′37″E
1867	Picton railway viaduct	Picton		Arch viaduct Sydney sandstone Stone rubble	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″S 150°36′42″E
1867	Victoria Bridge	Penrith		Box plate girder Wrought iron Steel with reinforced concrete Sydney sandstone	181	594	Initially rail: Main Western railway Now road: Great Western Highway Motor vehicles Pedestrians Bicycles	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″S 150°40′54″E
1867	Knapsack Viaduct	Lapstone		Arch viaduct Sydney sandstone	118	387	Rail: Main Western railway (1867-1892) Road: Great Western Highway (1910-1993) Recreation: Pedestrians only	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″S 150°37′00″E
1867	Prince Alfred Bridge	Gundagai		Warren truss Wrought iron Timber Cast iron	921	3,022	Road: Hume Highway (1867-1977) Local traffic: (1977- present.) Iron spans remain in use. Timber spans closed.	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″S 148°06′26″E
1869	The Great Zig Zag	Clarence		Arch viaducts Sydney sandstone	7,000	22,966	Rail: Main Western railway (1869-1910) Rail: Zig Zag Railway (1975-2012)	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″S 150°11′43″E
1870	Bowenfels rail viaduct	Bowenfels		Arch viaduct Sydney sandstone Stone rubble			Rail: Main Western railway (1870-1921)	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″S 150°07′38″E
1870	Marrangaroo railway viaduct	Marrangaroo		Arch viaduct Sydney sandstone Stone rubble			Rail: Main Western railway (1870-1921)	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″S 150°06′44″E
1870	Denison Bridge	Bathurst		Steel American Pratt truss			Road	Yes	Now pedestrian only	[23]	33°25′02″S 149°35′31″E
1870	Mudgee Road Bridge	Wallerawang		Stone			Road	Yes (private)			33°24′47″S 150°05′54″E
1870	Coxs River Bridge	Wallerawang		Arch viaduct Sydney sandstone Stone rubble			Rail: Main Western railway (1870-1923)	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″S 150°04′59″E
1873	Hay Bridge	Hay		Lattice girder swing bridge Wrought iron Timber deck Cast iron			Road	No	Demolished when the new road bridge opened in 1973	[25][26]	34°30′59″S 144°50′33″E
1874	Windsor Bridge	Windsor					Road	Yes		[27]	33°36′11″S 150°49′20″E
1881	Nowra Bridge	Nowra		Steel Whipple Truss	342	1,122	Road	Yes		[28]	34°51′51″S 150°36′07″E
1881	Gladesville Bridge (the 1881 bridge)	Drummoyne					Road	No	Demolished when the new road bridge opened in 1964	[29]	33°50′32″S 151°08′35″E
1881	Dubbo Rail Bridge	Dubbo		Wrought iron lattice girder bridge			Rail	Yes		[30]	32°14′38″S 149°35′39″E
1882	Peel River Bridge	Tamworth		Iron lattice girder	3,000	914	Rail	Yes		[31]	31°05′06″S 150°55′23″E
1885	Como Bridge (formerly Como Railway Bridge)	Como - Oatley spanning 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″S 151°04′15″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″S 151°46′50″E 29°34′55″S 151°48′09″E 29°12′01″S 152°01′00″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″S 151°05′20″E
1888	Brewarrina Bridge	Brewarrina		Wrought iron lift bridge with timber beam approaches	91	299	Road	Yes	Now pedestrian only	[37]	29°56′51″S 146°51′48″E
1888	Mulga St 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″S 151°4′40″E
1888	Sunnyside	Tenterfield		Timber Queen post truss viaduct on stone trestles			rail	no	Sunnyside rail bridge over Tenterfield Creek	[39]	28°59′08″S 151°56′58″E
1891	Murrumbidgee River railway bridge	Wagga Wagga		Wrought iron lattice truss			Rail	No	Removed in 2007	[40]	35°6′57″S 147°22′58″E
1892	Yass Town rail bridge	Yass		Truss			Rail	No	disused	[41]	34°50′21″S 148°54′22″E
1893	McKanes Falls Bridge	Lithgow		McDonald truss	27	89	Road	Yes		[42]	33°32′58″S 150°07′28″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″S 143°22′47″E
1895	Tharwa Bridge	Tharwa		Timber Allan Truss			Road	Yes		[44]	35°30′31″S 149°04′14″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″S 147°22′7″E
1897	Victoria Bridge	Picton		Timber Allan Truss	80	262	Road	Yes	tallest trestle in NSW	[46]	34°10′49″S 150°36′38″E
1897	Wallaby Rocks Bridge (Turon River)	Wallaby Rocks		Allan timber truss	106.7	350	Road	Yes		[47]	33°04′26″S 149°38′59″E
1898	Hampden Bridge	Kangaroo Valley		suspension with sandstone turrets	80	262	Road	Yes		[48]	34°43′40″S 150°31′16″E
1898	Morpeth Bridge	Morpeth		Allan truss	250	820	Road	Yes		[49]	32°43′26″S 151°37′36″E

20th century

Built	Name	Location	Image	Construction type (materials)	Length		Use (carries)	In use	Comments	Refs	Coordinates
					m	ft
1901	Hinton Bridge	Hinton		Allan truss	178.6	586	Road	Yes		[50]	32°42′51″S 151°38′52″E
1901	De Burghs Bridge (the 1901 bridge)	West Pymble					Road	No	Replaced by new road bridge in 1967. Old bridge destroyed by bushfires in January 1994	[51]	33°46′33″S 151°8′12″E
1902	Gundagai Rail Bridge	Gundagai		Timber Howe deck trusses	819	2,687	Rail	No	over Murrumbidgee River	[52]	33°04′23″S 148°06′17″E
1903	St Albans Bridge	St Albans		DeBurgh timber truss			Road	Yes		[53]	33°17′39″S 150°58′22″E
1903	Maldon suspension bridge	Maldon					Road	No		[54]	34°12′08″S 150°37′56″E
1911	Scabbing Flat Bridge	Dubbo		Timber Dare-type truss			Road	Yes		[55]	32°25′50″S 148°48′36″E
1914	Mungindi Bridge	Mungindi		Timber Dare-type truss			Road	Yes	To be replaced by a new bridge which is under construction		28°58′33″S 148°59′05″E
1916	Rawsonville Bridge	Dubbo		Timber Dare-type truss			Road	Yes		[56]	32°11′28″S 148°26′59″E
1918	Fullers Bridge	Chatswood West					Road	Yes		[57]	33°47′34″S 151°09′25″E
1924	Mulwala Bridge	Mulwala		Steel Pratt Truss			Road	Yes		[58]	36°00′15″S 146°00′15″E
1924	Roseville Bridge (the 1924 bridge)	Roseville Chase					Road	No	Replaced by new road bridge in 1966. Used as a pedestrian bridge until it was demolished in 1974.	[59]	33°46′27″S 151°12′19″E
1927	Subway Lane bridge	Homebush					Rail	Yes		[60]	33°51′58″S 151°05′03″E
1929	Tom Uglys Bridge (the 1929 bridge)	Blakehurst		Truss bridge	499	1,637	Road	Yes		[61]	34°00′12″S 151°06′48″E
1932	Sydney Harbour Bridge	Sydney		Steel through arch bridge			Road, rail, pedestrian and bicycle	Yes		[62]	33°51′29″S 151°12′39″E
1932	Grafton	Grafton		Bascule			Road (upper deck) Rail (lower deck)	Yes		[63]	29°41′53″S 152°56′32″E
1935	Ryde Bridge (the 1935 bridge)	Ryde		Lift bridge			Road	Yes		[64]	33°49′25″S 151°05′42″E
1936	Kindee Bridge	Kindee		suspension	70	230	Road	Yes	Crosses Hastings River near Long Flat	[65]	31°25′20″S 152°28′13″E
1939	Long Gully Bridge	Northbridge		Concrete arch			Road	Yes	Rebuilt and replaced the 1892 bridge	[66]	33°48′59″S 151°12′44″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]

• List of bridges in Australia