Morpeth Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge over the

Hunter River Hunter River may refer to: *Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia *Hunter River (Western Australia) *Hunter River, New Zealand *Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada **Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada ...

Morpeth, New South Wales Morpeth is a suburb of the city of Maitland in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the southern banks of the Hunter River at the border between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs. The major population centr ...

, Australia. It was designed by

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 ...

and built from 1896 to 1898 by Samuel McGill. It is also known as Morpeth Bridge over the Hunter River. The property is owned by

Transport for NSW Transport for NSW, sometimes abbreviated to TfNSW, and pronounced as Transport for New South Wales, is an agency of the New South Wales Government established on 1 November 2011, and is the leading transport and roads agency in New South Wales, ...

. Opened on 15 June 1898, the Morpeth Bridge is a timber

trestle bridge A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames. A trestle (sometimes tressel) is a rigid frame used as a support, historically a tripod used to support a stool or a pair of isosceles trian ...

employing

Allan truss 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 s ...

es. It has two central iron cylinder span supports fabricated by Mort's Dock & Engineering Company. It is managed by

. The bridge was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 20 June 2000.

History

Morpeth was part of a land grant made to Lieutenant

Edward Charles Close Edward Charles Close (Senior) (12 March 1790 – 7 May 1866) was a British soldier, engineer, New South Wales colonial magistrate, member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, and early European settler in Morpeth.Governor Brisbane in 1821. Influenced by its desirable location on the Hunter River and the realisation of the area's immense potential, by the 1830s Morpeth had evolved from a riverside forest to a frontier town and busy river port. During its time as a major agricultural and industrial hub Morpeth contributed to the development of the entire

Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...

. A punt service was established across the river from Queen's Wharf to Phoenix Park and Hinton to the north. Local lobbying for a bridge over the Hunter River at Morpeth began as early as March 1885, when the Morpeth Progress Committee drafted a petition calling for the construction of a bridge across the Hunter to connect with Phoenix Park to the north.Anderson 2001: 67 By August 1885 the local member,

Robert Wisdom Robert Ray Wisdom (born September 14, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Howard "Bunny" Colvin in ''The Wire,'' Norman "Lechero" St. John in ''Prison Break'', and Harold Conway in the 2021 Hulu movie ''Vacation Friends''. ...

proposed that the community should request that the

Department of Public Works 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 ...

construct two bridges (the second being over the

Paterson River Paterson River, a perennial river that is part of the Hunter River catchment, is located in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Paterson River rises in the Barrington Tops National Park, wes ...

at Hinton) which would better serve the people of the region as it would:Anderson 2001: 72

"supply a long necessary public want to the residents of Morpeth, Hinton, Seaham, Clarence Town, East and West Maitland and surrounding districts..."

Tenders for the construction of the Morpeth Bridge over the Hunter River were called for in the

Government Gazette A government gazette (also known as an official gazette, official journal, official newspaper, official monitor or official bulletin) is a periodical publication that has been authorised to publish public or legal notices. It is usually establis ...

in June 1896.Government Gazette 269: 2529 The call requested tenders for the:

"erection of a Timber truss Bridge on Iron Piers over the Hunter River at Morpeth; also alternative tenders for a bridge with composite Truss spans on Timber Piers."

In August 1896 it was announced that the tender was won by S. McGill of

Inverell Inverell is a large town in northern New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River, close to the Queensland border. It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of the No ...

.GG 649: 5692 The estimated cost of its construction was £9,000, the actual final cost was £9,239/11/5.Report of the Department of Public Works 1897: 10; 1899: 105 Construction was delayed in part by flooding along the Hunter River which occurred in February on 1897; as a result of this flooding scaffolding erected for the bridge was washed away.

Dungog Chronicle ''Dungog Chronicle'', originally published as the ''Durham Chronicle and Dungog & Williams River Advertiser'', is a twice weekly English language newspaper published in Dungog, New South Wales, Australia. History The paper was established b ...

The Morpeth Bridge was opened in June 1898. It, along with the then proposed Hinton Bridge over the Paterson River, was intended to provide a route between Morpeth, Hinton,

Wallalong Wallalong is a rural suburb of the Port Stephens local government area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is bisected by High Street, along which a small residential zone of 938 people exists. To the east and west of ...

, Phoenix Park and

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

. The bridge replaced a hand-powered puntDPW 1987; 10 and was built as a National Work.RTA file 307.138 The bridge opening ceremony was attended by J.H. Young, the Colonial Secretary and several Members of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. Attendees from the general public were reminded during the accompanying speeches that they were, to a degree, indebted to their political representatives for the existence of the Bridge, and that they could repay the debt by voting accordingly at the then upcoming general elections.Dungog Chronicle 21/06/1898 The Bridge opening was described as a "very successful and enjoyable one" - entertainment included the Morpeth Brass band and a long procession of school children.Dungog Chronicle 17/06/1898 The Bridge was described as consisting of:DPW 1898: 13

"three timber truss spans, of 100ft. 3in. each, resting on iron cylinder river piers and timber land piers, with fourteen timber beam spans of 35 feet each, extending on a grade 1 to 30 to the low-lying lands of Phoenix Park. The roadway is 18 feet in width, and in order to clear the tramway on the Morpeth side it was necessary to keep the Bridge 16 feet above flood level."

The bridge was considered by the Department of Public Works to be an important construction, and it was noted in the annual report for 1898 that the "question of affording access to the town of Morpeth from the low-lying lands of Phoenix Park had long been under consideration".DPW 1998: 13 A photograph of the bridge was included with the Annual Report for 1898 showing the three truss spans and iron cylinder piers. As a result of the erection of the Bridge, navigation of the Hunter River above the Bridge was limited and Queens Wharf in Morpeth fell into disrepair.Morpeth Progress Assoc. 1992

Description

The bridge has three timber Allan

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 ...

spans, flanked by timber beam spans supporting concrete decking units. The roadway width is and the main spans are supported on twin iron cylinder

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

. The approaches have timber piers. Some of the features of the modified

Howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a bridg ...

developed by Allan are the use of paired timber elements throughout, which allowed any component to be replaced while the bridge remained in service, without the need to temporarily prop the trusses from below. The truss consists of timber top and bottom chords, timber compression diagonals and tension rods as verticals; the tension rods could be used to adjust the geometry and counteract shrinkage. Furthermore, cast-iron shoes at all joints ensured proper truss action and a good transfer of member forces at the joints. Allan's design was lighter and more economical than the McDonald truss it replaced. They were also designed to be more accessible for painting and repair, and to use shorter lengths of timber which were much easier to obtain and to manoeuvre during construction. Flood evacuation

stairs Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

are located on the northern approach adjacent to Pier 9. Evidence of former Morpeth branch railway line may be present in the vicinity of span 1 on the Morpeth town side.

Modifications and dates

There has been a continual replacement process of defective timbers over the lifetime of the bridge; however it can be considered as having its original fabric. Between 2008 and 2011 the bridge was upgraded by RMS to increase the load capacity in line with current traffic requirements. The timber planking on the truss spans and approach spans was replaced with Stress Laminated Timber decking and concrete decking units respectively. The timber ordinance railing was replaced with a visually similar steel railing in order to comply with current safety codes. The seven northernmost approach spans were replaced with a raised embankment delineated by textured concrete

retaining wall Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides. Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...

s. Flood evacuation stairs were removed from Pier 13 and reinstated at Pier 9 in 2013. Architectural lighting was installed in 2021 ahead of the Morpeth Bicentenary. The lights were turned on for the first time on 20 November 2021. The lights are switched on nightly 60 minutes before sunset until 10:30pm. The lights are able to be set to various lighting sequences based on nominated commemorative days and events.

Further information

There are concerns about modern heavy truck loads on the bridge, as those loads exceed what was expected when the bridge was originally designed .

Heritage listing

Completed in 1898, the Morpeth Bridge is a substantial and rare overhead braced Allan type timber truss road bridge that has provided an important river crossing since its completion. As a timber truss road bridge, it has many associational links with important historical events, trends, and people, including the expansion of the road network and economic activity throughout New South Wales, and

, the designer of this type of truss. Allan trusses were third in the five stage design evolution of New South Wales timber truss road bridges, and were a major improvement over the McDonald trusses which preceded them. Allan trusses were 20% cheaper to build than McDonald trusses, could carry 50% more load, and were easier to maintain. Only six examples of overhead braced Allan type timber road bridges were built of these only two remain, two under RMS control (Morpeth Bridge and Dunmore Bridge) while Hampden Bridge was under the control of

Wagga Wagga City Council City of Wagga Wagga is a local government area in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales, Australia. The Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga is Cr. Dallas Tout, an independent politician. City, town and localities The City of Wagga Wagg ...

until its demolition in 2014. Technically they represented the high water mark of timber bridge construction in Australia; the top braces enabled the construction of spans on the Macleay River Bridge, the greatest ever achieved. In 2013 there are 24 surviving Allan trusses in New South Wales of the 104 built. From an aesthetic perspective, the dominance of the truss grouping and associated approach bridges provides an important counterpoint to the perpendicularly aligned main street of Morpeth for which it serves as a "gateway". The town and bridge are within a heritage conservation zone. On the northern approaches of the bridge are a small flight of stairs which serve as a dedicated and purpose-built flood evacuation access route, this feature is unique to Morpeth Bridge amongst the bridges in the Hunter Valley. Morpeth Bridge was listed on the

on 20 June 2000 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. Through the Bridge's association with the expansion of the New South Wales road network, its ability to demonstrate historically important concepts such as the gradual acceptance of New South Wales people of American design ideas, and its association with Percy Allan, it has historical significance. The town of Morpeth was a historic Hunter River port. It remains an historic town and is well complemented by the Bridge. By the standards of this criterion, Morpeth Bridge can be considered to be of state significance. The place has a strong or special association with a person, or group of persons, of importance of cultural or natural history of New South Wales's history. Morpeth Bridge represents the efforts and motivation of the local community to lobby for a series of permanent crossings on the road north from Morpeth to Hinton and beyond in the Lower Hunter Valley. The bridge was built by S. McGill, whose construction teams were also responsible for building the nearby Dunmore Bridge at Woodville and Hinton Bridge, both of which are listed on the SHR. Designed by Percy Allan who is regarded as one of Australia's foremost bridge engineers being associated in the design and construction of 583 bridges during his 49-year career (1878-1927) in the New South Wales Department of Public Works. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The aesthetic significance of the Bridge is manifested in two ways; the first is the design and construction excellence that the Bridge exhibits and the second is its visual appeal including the relationship between the Bridge and its visual setting and the way that they complement each other. Morpeth Bridge is an imposing and distinctive structure in its setting. It is a clearly visible and dominant component of the Morpeth townscape. It is encapsulated in the setting of a modified landscape of roads, gardens and buildings which it played a part in forming. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Timber truss bridges are prominent to road travellers and New South Wales has in the past been referred to as the "timber truss bridge state". Through this, the complete set of bridges gain some social significance, as they could be said to be held in reasonable esteem by many travellers in New South Wales. The Bridge has significance to the local community as an important item of heritage which historically supported the economic and social development of the district and provided an important permanent road link between Morpeth and towns to the north. The Bridge was only built due to intense lobbying on the part of the Morpeth Progress Association. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Morpeth Bridge is assessed to have technical significance as an Allan truss and represents some major technical developments that were made in timber truss bridge designs by the New South Wales Public Works Department. Morpeth Bridge is one of only three large Allan truss style bridges complete with full overhead bracing remaining of six built and is the only triple span, overhead braced Allan truss not to incorporate a lift span. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Morpeth Bridge is one of 24 surviving Allan trusses in New South Wales of the 104 built. Of this truss type Morpeth Bridge is one of only 6 large Allan truss style bridges complete with full overhead bracing built and one of only two remaining open to traffic. Morpeth Bridge exhibits a rare relationship to an adjacent historic townscape setting and is unique amongst the bridges of the Hunter Valley for featuring flood evacuation stairs. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. The Bridge, with its distinctive overhead braced spans is regarded as representative of this type of rarely constructed (in Australia) type of timber truss bridge. When the bridge was built in 1898 Phoenix Park had no levee and was frequently flooded, even more so than it is at present. Flooding was a characteristic of Phoenix Park and the farmers relied on the stairs as a last resort flood escape by walking along the high river bank at a time when wading through floodwater to the end of the bridge would have been hazardous, if not impossible; The flood evacuation stairs are therefore representative of the farm culture of the district.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

External links

* {{Hunter Region places and items of interest Road bridges in New South Wales Bridges completed in 1898 Allan truss bridges New South Wales State Heritage Register Morpeth, New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register 1898 establishments in Australia Truss bridges in Australia Wooden bridges in Australia Hunter River (New South Wales)