Kennedy Bridge is a heritage-listed

road 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 ...

on Bourbong Street crossing Bundaberg Creek from

Bundaberg Central Bundaberg Central is the central Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb and central business district of Bundaberg in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bundaberg Central had a population of 316 people. Geography The su ...

Bundaberg East Bundaberg East is a suburb of Bundaberg in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Bundaberg East had a population of 2,784 people. History A Government land sale of eighty allotments was advertised for auction by W. E. Curtis ...

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

Bundaberg Region The Bundaberg Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is centred on the city of Bundaberg, and also contains a significant rural area surroundin ...

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 designed by

Alfred Barton Brady Alfred Barton Brady was an engineer and architect in Queensland, Australia. He was one of Queensland's most important early engineers and was particularly known for his bridge design. He was the Queensland Colonial Architect and many of his build ...

and built in 1899. It is also known as Saltwater Creek Road Bridge. It was added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

on 21 October 1992.

History

The Kennedy Bridge is a single span metal truss road bridge crossing Bundaberg Creek (also called Saltwater Creek), a tributary of the

Burnett River The Burnett River is a river located in the Wide Bay–Burnett and Central Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia. Course and features The Burnett River rises in the Burnett Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, close to Mount Gaeta a ...

, at Bundaberg. It was constructed in 1899 and was the smaller of two technically and visually related bridges designed by A.B. Brady for Bundaberg. The Burnett area was first settled by Europeans in the 1840s and 50s as a series of pastoral runs. In the late 1860s, as good agricultural land around Maryborough began to be scarce, agriculturalists and timbergetters became interested in land on the navigable

to the north. The foundation settlers of Bundaberg selected land in 1867-68 under the "Sugar and Coffee Regulations" stemming from the Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1860s which aimed to promote agriculture and closer settlement. The site of Bundaberg was officially surveyed in 1869. Coastal traffic grew, and copper was first mined at Mount Perry in 1871, which enabled Bundaberg to develop as a port and supply centre, in spite of competition from Maryborough for this trade. The provision of amenities was therefore of importance to the development of Bundaberg and this included bridges. StateLibQld 2 393149 Original Kennedy Bridge, Bundaberg, 1878

StateLibQld 2 393149 Original Kennedy Bridge, Bundaberg, 1878

Although the higher southern bank of the Burnett River was officially surveyed as the town site, both sides developed and were initially linked only by ferry. Prior to 1872, the creek prevented the movement of vehicular traffic between the town of Bundaberg and the

Woongarra Division #REDIRECT Shire of Woongarra The Shire of Woongarra was a local government area located to the south and east of the regional city of Bundaberg. The shire, administered from Bundaberg itself, covered an area of , and existed as a local governmen ...

to the east. Government action was urged in 1872 and money voted for the construction of a bridge. However, every tender exceeded the government estimate. The difficulty was solved when local property owner, Walter Adams, assisted the project by deliberately underbidding. A timber bridge, known as Adam's Bridge, was built and was the first in the district. Adam's Bridge was replaced by another timber bridge in 1878. It was officially opened on Tuesday 26 March 1878 by the

Queensland Governor The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial functi ...

Arthur Kennedy John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914January 5, 1990) was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create "an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage", especially in the origi ...

, after whom the bridge was named. In the 1880s, Bundaberg boomed with the growth of the sugar industry in the region. Handsome and substantial masonry buildings began to rise in the city as evidence of its growing importance and prosperity. It was planned to replace the timber bridges, weakened by heavy traffic, by bridges not only stronger, but more in keeping the general upgrading of civic buildings. As a parallel project, two bridges of related design by A.B. Brady were constructed; the Burnett Bridge from Quay Street to

Bundaberg North Bundaberg North is a suburb of Bundaberg in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bundaberg North had a population of 5,451 people. It occupies the developed area north of the Burnett River, opposite the Bundaberg CBD. Geograp ...

and this much smaller Kennedy Bridge across the Bundaberg Creek which opened in December 1899. It was funded under the Local Works Loan Act of 1880 and the Bundaberg Town Council and Woongarra Divisional Board bore two-thirds of its cost. It provided an example of co-operation between urban and rural local authorities for the advancement of the district in general. The Kennedy Bridge is a reduced version of the Burnett Bridge which was opened on 24 August 1900. Both have similarities in structural design and appearance to the 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 ...

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 ...

, which was demolished in the 1960s. All were designed by engineer and Government Architect, Alfred Barton Brady. A.B. Brady was born in 1856 and received his training in England. He became one of Queensland's most important early engineers and served the state in various departments for 37 years. He worked initially with the railways from 1885, then from 1889 with the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

, and then as Government Architect and engineer for bridges from 1892. Although Brady designed many important and handsome public buildings, his forte was bridge design and he designed a number of notable bridges. The Kennedy Bridge is interesting as an example of his work which is still in use and little altered.

Description

Kennedy Bridge joins Bourbong Street and Bourbong Street East over Saltwater Creek. It has a single metal

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

span Span may refer to: Science, technology and engineering * Span (unit), the width of a human hand * Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports * Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft * Sorbitan ester ...

of and metal lattice

trusses A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembla ...

with a curved upper chord. It carries a roadway and a footpath. The metal deck spans between the lower chords of the trusses. Flanking the entrances to the bridge and rising above the trusses are "L" shaped concrete

pylons Pylon may refer to: Structures and boundaries * Pylon (architecture), the gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple or Christian cathedral * Pylon, a support tower structure for suspension bridges or highways * Pylon, an orange mar ...

, square in appearance from the roadway. They are neo-classical in influence and have a

Doric style The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

on a rusticated base. There are lights on decorative metal

brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...

facing the approaches. Repair work to the bridge was carried out in 1991 and it has since been repainted. It remains in very much its original form.

Heritage listing

Kennedy Bridge was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. Kennedy Bridge, opened in 1899, is important in illustrating the development and importance of Bundaberg in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as the centre of one of Queensland's most significant sugar-growing regions. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. It is an important example of its type and is similar to, and closely associated with, the Burnett River Bridge, which was opened in 1900. The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history. It is important as a design of Alfred Barton Brady who, during 37 years of work for several departments of the Queensland government, made a major contribution to the development of the state in both architectural and engineering design.

References

Attribution

External links

* {{cite web, title=Local history feature: Kennedy Bridge, url=http://library.bundaberg.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/Kennedy_Bridge_story.pdf, publisher=

Bundaberg Regional Council The Bundaberg Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is centred on the city of Bundaberg, and also contains a significant rural area surroundin ...

, accessdate=14 November 2015 Queensland Heritage Register Buildings and structures in Bundaberg Bridges in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register Bundaberg Central Bundaberg East, Queensland