Murray River Railway Bridge, Tocumwal, NSW

The numerous movable bridges of the Murray-Darling River system were provided for the use of river traffic and form a tangible reminder of the river boats of the past. The bridge at Tocumwal was constructed as a road bridge in 1895 and later modified to carry the Victorian Railways into New South Wales in 1905. The New South Wales Railway did not reach Tocumwal until 1914. The bridge is therefore historically significant in the development of both river and land transport in the Riverina.

The Tocumwal bridge is the oldest existing lift bridge over the River Murray. It is followed by Swan Hill (1896), Cobram (1902), Barham (1905) and Tooleybuck (1924); and is the third or fourth oldest of all existing Murray Bridges after Echuca (1875) and Murray Bridge (South Australia 1879) and completed in the same year as Corowa (1895). It is the seventh oldest of all existing Australian movable bridges.



The Truss lift span bridge over the Murray River opened in 1895, and was constructed by the NSW Public Works Department. It has three spans, the centre span having an opening lift-span for navigation. Initially provided for road traffic only, it was strengthened for rail traffic in 1908, and was used for both road and rail traffic until November 1987. The Edward Hillson Bridge opened on 9 November 1987, located a short distance upstream, the concrete road bridge carries the Goulburn Valley Highway across the Murray, with the old bridge used for rail traffic only since 1987.

When opened, monthly lifting of the centre span was carried out for testing purposes. When the bridge was made a rail and road bridge, the span was always kept down unless enquired by river traffic. By 1930, river traffic declined, and so by 1944, the monthly lifting was altered to yearly. In 1951, it was proposed to keep the span closed, the last lift for river traffic being in 1933, and no maintenance lifting having been carried out for a decade. In September 1977, both state governments agreed to keep it fixed, and removed requirement for being able to lift it. Easter 1995 celebrations including operation of the lift span.



The bridge carries a 5.6m roadway within which is a single track 1.6m gauge railway; with the roadway width reduced to 4.3m over the lift span. The lift span of 17.8m, is supported by metal plate girders and is lifted by a winch system, with the winch overhead on a platform supported by four latticed metal towers with the counterweights running outside the towers. Two 42.1m half through lattice trusses form the approaches, one on each side of the lift span. The river piers have cast iron cylinders and the abutments are of stone.