This list documents historical

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s located in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Road, rail and pedestrian bridges are listed. Generally bridges built before WWII (1939) have been included in this list.

Historical context

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. 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 Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

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 Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...

situation that mimics a tropical

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

. 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 bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern o ...

s. 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. Timber truss bridges, and timber bridges generally were so common that NSW was known to travellers as the "timber bridge state". 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.

New South Wales historic bridges

''Sorted by date''

19th century

, Yes , Officially, The Nepean Bridge and designed by

John Whitton John Whitton (1820, near Wakefield, Yorkshire, England – 20 February 1898), an Anglo–Australian railway engineer, was the Engineer-in-Charge for the New South Wales Government Railways, serving between 1856 and 1890, considered the Father of ...

, it is the oldest surviving crossing of the

Hawkesbury Hawkesbury or Hawksbury may refer to: People *Baron Hawkesbury, or Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool (1727-1808), English statesman Places ;Geography *Hawkesbury Island, an island in British Columbia, Canada * Hawkesbury Island, Queensland ...

–Nepean River. , , , - , 1867 ,

Knapsack Viaduct The Lapstone Zig Zag was a zig zag railway built between and stations on the Main Western line of New South Wales in Australia. Constructed between 1863 and 1865 to overcome an otherwise insurmountable climb up the eastern side of the Blue M ...

Lapstone Lapstone is a township on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. Elevation 160 m (525 ft). Lapstone is located 62 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD in the local government area of the City of Blu ...

Arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...

, , , Yes , Designed by

, the viaduct was initially part of the Lapstone Zig Zag, subsequently deviated via the Glenbrook Tunnel. , , , - , 1867 ,

Prince Alfred Bridge The Prince Alfred Bridge is a wrought iron truss and timber beam partially-disused road bridge over the Murrumbidgee River and its floodplain at Middleton Drive, Gundagai, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. The ...

Gundagai Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeys ...

Warren truss Warren Errol Truss, (born 8 October 1948) is a former Australian politician who served as the 16th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development in the Abbott Government and the Turnbull Governm ...

, , , Yes , The first iron truss bridge in NSW. Main spans were used for local traffic only, after

Hume Highway Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route ...

bypassed Gundagai. Timber spans subsequently declared unsafe for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. , , , - , 1869 , The Great Zig Zag , , Zig zag railway at Lithgow

s , , , Yes , Designed by

, the zig zag was bypassed via the

Ten Tunnels Deviation The Ten Tunnels Deviation is a heritage-listed section of the Main Western Line between Newnes Junction and Zig Zag stations in Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by the New South Wales Government Railways and bui ...

in 1910. Part of the railway line was subsequently used as a narrow gauge tourist railway. , , , - , 1870 , Bowenfels rail viaduct , , Railway Viaduct Lithgow - panoramio

, , , , , 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. , , , - , 1870 , , , ,

, , , , , 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. , , , - , 1870 ,

Denison Bridge The Denison Bridge is a heritage-listed footbridge over the Macquarie River in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is the fourth oldest metal truss bridge existing in Australia. The bridge, completed in 1870, replaced an earlier bridge tha ...

, Bathurst , Denison Bridge, Bathurst NSW, Australia

, Steel American Pratt truss , , , , Road , Yes , Now pedestrian only , , , - , 1870 , Mudgee Road Bridge , Wallerawang , , Stone , , , , Road , Yes (private) , , , , - , 1870 , Coxs River Bridge ,

Wallerawang Wallerawang is a small township in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately northwest of Lithgow, New South Wales, Lithgow adjacent to the Great Western Highway. It is also located on the Main Western ra ...

, ,

, , , , , 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. , , , - , 1873 , Hay Bridge ,

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

Hay Bridge over Murrumbidgee River (Leader, Melbourne, Sat 3 Oct 1908 Page 28)

Lattice girder A lattice girder is a truss girder where the load is carried by a web of latticed metal. Overview The lattice girder was used prior to the development of larger rolled steel plates. It has been supplanted in modern construction with welded o ...

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

, , , Road , No , Demolished when the new road bridge opened in 1973 , , , - , 1874 ,

Windsor Bridge The Windsor Bridge or Windsor Town Bridge, an iron and granite arch bridge over the River Thames, is located between the towns of Windsor and Eton in the English county of Berkshire. The Thames Path crosses the river here. The bridge carries pede ...

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, , , , , , Road , Yes , , , , - , 1881 ,

Nowra Bridge The Nowra Bridge is a road bridge that carries the Princes Highway over the Shoalhaven River, at Nowra in the Shoalhaven Council local government area, on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The bridge joins the main area of Nowra to ...

Nowra Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated population of 22,584. Situated in th ...

, Steel Whipple Truss , , Road , Yes , , , , - , 1881 ,

Gladesville Bridge Gladesville Bridge is a heritage-listed concrete arch road bridge that carries Victoria Road over the Parramatta River, linking the Sydney suburbs of Huntleys Point and Drummoyne, in the local government areas of Canada Bay and Hunter's Hill, ...

Drummoyne Drummoyne is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Drummoyne is six kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative center for the local government area of the City of ...

The first Gladesville Bridge (3639534413)

, , , , , Road , No , Demolished when the new road bridge opened in 1964 , , , - , 1881 , Dubbo Rail Bridge ,

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

Wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

lattice girder A lattice girder is a truss girder where the load is carried by a web of latticed metal. Overview The lattice girder was used prior to the development of larger rolled steel plates. It has been supplanted in modern construction with welded o ...

bridge , , , , Rail , Yes , , , , - , 1882 , Peel River Bridge , , , Iron lattice girder , , Rail , Yes , , , , - , 1885 , Como Bridge
(formerly Como Railway Bridge) ,

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...

- Oatley spanning Georges River , ,

bridge , , , , Pedestrian, Viaduct (formerly Rail) , Yes , , , , - , 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 , ,

, - , 1886 , Meadowbank Bridge , Meadowbank , John Witton Bridge11

Truss Bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

, , , , Rail , Yes , Now bicycles and pedestrians only. New

John Whitton Bridge The John Whitton Bridge is a railway bridge that carries the Main Northern railway line across the Parramatta River, located between the Sydney suburbs of Rhodes and Meadowbank. First bridge The original double track Meadowbank Bridge opened ...

was built to replace the original bridge in 1980. , , , - , 1888 , Brewarrina Bridge ,

Brewarrina Brewarrina (pronounced 'bree-warren-ah'; locally known as "Bre") is a town in north-west New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. The name Brewarrina is derived from 'burru waranha', a Weilwan name for a s ...

, ,

lift bridge with timber beam approaches , , Road , Yes , Now pedestrian only , , , - , 1888 , Mulga St Bridge , Oatley , , Double stone culvert , , , , Road , Yes , Now covered with modern roadwork, the stonework is still visible from Myles Dunphy Reserve. , , , - , 1888 , Sunnyside , , , Timber Queen post truss viaduct on stone trestles , , , , rail , no , Sunnyside rail bridge over Tenterfield Creek , , , - , 1891 ,

Murrumbidgee River railway bridge The Murrumbidgee River railway bridge is a former railway bridge that carried the Main Southern railway line across the Murrumbidgee River in Wagga Wagga, Australia. The original bridge, erected in 1881, was replaced in 2006. Original bridge Th ...

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

, Wrought iron

lattice truss A lattice bridge is a form of truss bridge that uses many small, closely spaced diagonal elements forming a lattice. The lattice Truss Bridge was patented in 1820 by architect Ithiel Town. Originally a design to allow a substantial bridge to be ma ...

, , , , Rail , No , Removed in 2007 , , , - , 1892 , Yass Town rail bridge , , Yass Railway Bridge 001

, Truss , , , , Rail , No , disused , , , - , 1893 ,

McKanes Falls Bridge The McKanes Falls Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge at McKanes Falls Road, South Bowenfels, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John McDonald and NSW Engineer for Bridges and built from 1892 to 1893 by NSW Public Works. It is ...

, , , McDonald truss , , Road , Yes , , , , - , 1895 , Wilcannia Bridge ,

Wilcannia Wilcannia is a small town located within the Central Darling Shire in north western New South Wales, Australia. Located on the Darling River, the town was the third largest inland port in the country during the river boat era of the mid-19th ce ...

, , Steel truss bridge , , , , Road , No , Accessible to public. Used to carry Barrier Highway and spans over Darling River. , , , - , 1895 , Tharwa Bridge ,

Tharwa Tharwa (postcode 2620) is a township within the District of Paddys River, Australian Capital Territory, south of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. At the , Tharwa had a population of 81. The village is located on the banks of the Murr ...

, , Timber Allan Truss , , , , Road , Yes , , , , - , 1895 , Hampden Bridge ,

, Timber Allan Truss , , Road , Yes , Closed to public. To be demolished in 2013 , , , - , 1897 ,

Victoria Bridge Victoria Bridge may be a reference to: Bridges ;Australia * Victoria Bridge, Brisbane, a road bridge across the Brisbane River in Brisbane * Victoria Bridge, Devonport a road ridge across the Mersey River in Devonport, Tasmania * Victoria Bridge, M ...

, Picton , , Timber Allan Truss , , Road , Yes , tallest trestle in NSW , , , - , 1897 ,

Wallaby Rocks Bridge The Wallaby Rocks Bridge is a heritage register, heritage-listed road bridge that carries Hill End Road across the Turon River, at Wallaby Rocks near Sofala, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Percy Allan and built in 1897 by E. Tayl ...

(Turon River) , Wallaby Rocks , , Allan timber truss , , Road , Yes , , , , - , 1898 , Hampden Bridge ,

Kangaroo Valley Kangaroo Valley is a river valley along the Kangaroo River in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia, located west of the seaside in the City of Shoalhaven. It is also the name of the small suburb within it, formerly known as Osbor ...

100px 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...

with sandstone turrets , , Road , Yes , , , , - , 1898 ,

Morpeth Bridge Morpeth Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge over the Hunter River at Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Percy Allan and built from 1896 to 1898 by Samuel McGill. It is also known as Morpeth Bridge over the Hunter River. ...

Morpeth Morpeth may refer to: *Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia ** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales * Morpeth, Ontario, Canada * Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK ** Morpeth (UK ...

, , Allan truss , , Road , Yes , , ,

20th century

Allan type truss

The Allan truss bridge is named after

Percy Allan Percy Allan (12 July 1861 – 7 May 1930) was a civil engineer who designed many public works in New South Wales, including the design of 583 bridges. Early life Allan was the son of Maxwell Rennie Allan, principal Under-Secretary of State f ...

, 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 with the

Tharwa Bridge Tharwa Bridge is a four span Allan truss bridge that provides a high-level crossing point across the Murrumbidgee River, allowing traffic between Canberra and Tharwa village. It is the oldest surviving bridge in the Australian Capital Territory ...

pre-dating it.

Dare type truss

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. 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.

References

{{Reflist, 2 New South Wales-related lists History of transport in New South Wales