The Inkerman Bridge was a railway bridge over the Burdekin River between McDesme and

Home Hill Home Hill is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Home Hill had a population of 2,954 people. At the delta of the Burdekin River, it is a sugarcane growing area with underground wa ...

, both in the Shire of Burdekin,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It was in operation between 1913 and 1957 after which it was replaced by the

Burdekin Bridge The Burdekin Bridge (known as the Burdekin River Bridge or Silver Link) spans the Burdekin River between the towns of Ayr (locality of McDesme) to the north and Home Hill to the south, both in the Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia. Loc ...

(also known as the Silver Link).

History

Queensland State Archives 6413 Burdekin River Bridge Flood Damage Repair NCL 29 October 1940

The Inkerman Bridge was built as part of the North Coast railway line along the Queensland coast that ultimately linked

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

by rail. Construction commenced in 1912 and the bridge officially opened on Monday 8 September 1913. The bridge was low-lying and the Burdekin River frequently flooded. As a result, the bridge was frequently closed due to water over the bridge or because the bridge was damaged by floods leading to months of closure while it was repaired. On 8 March 1945 a goods train was swept off the bridge in a sudden surge of flood water. Two people drowned, while four others survived by freeing the cattle on board and then "rode" down the river holding onto the steers until they were rescued downstream at various locations as far as

Rita Island Rita Island is a coastal and rural locality in the Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia. In the , Rita Island had a population of 152 people. Geography The Burdekin River breaks into two branches as it approaches the Coral Sea and Rita I ...

. The bridge went at least under water in that flood. The disaster renewed demands that a higher-level bridge be built. In 1947 a project commenced to build a high-level road-and-rail bridge to replace the Inkerman Bridge, but owing to the sandy soil without any rock to provide foundations for a higher bridge, it took ten years to design and construct the Burdekin Bridge which opened on 27 March 1957.

Remnants

Some remnants of the old bridge are still visible downstream (east) of the Burdekin Bridge.

References

External links

* {{cite web, url=https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/11/20/2424837.htm, title=Memories from the Burdekin Bridge, first=Winsome, last=Denyer, date=20 November 2008, publisher=

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113210533/https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/11/20/2424837.htm, archive-date=13 January 2021, url-status=live Railway bridges in Queensland Burdekin River Shire of Burdekin Former railway bridges in Australia