New South Wales: Bridges and Viaducts
Zig Zag Railway, Lithgow, NSW
The Lithgow Zig Zag is one of the major engineering achievements of the railway era, its construction opened up the western area of New South Wales beyond the Blue Mountains for development with access by rail. It was the major achievement of NSW Railways Chief Engineer John Whitton. At the time of its construction, it was the greatest civil engineering work in Australia and was considered worldwide as an engineering marvel.
Narrandera Railway Bridge, Narrandera, NSW
Murrumbidgee River railway bridge is a disused eritage-listed bridge on the Tocumwal railway line crossing from Narrandera to Gillenbah. It was designed by John Whitton in his capacity as Engineer-in-Chief for Railways, and built in 1884-85 by Halliday & Owen with ironwork supplied by English firm Westwood, Baillie. It is also known as Narrandera Lattice Railway Bridge. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 and was added to the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate on 15 May 1990.
Grafton Bridge, Grafton, NSW
The original Grafton Bridge, which spans the Clarence River, is the only double-decker road and rail bridge in Australia. This unusual two level structure has two railway lines on its lower deck and cars above on the top deck. It still sees several trains a day from Sydney to Brisbane (passenger and freight) as well as countless cars on the top deck. Grafton Bridge is affectionately known to locals as the Bendy Bridge as it has a bend at each approach to allow the railway to continue straight while the road diverges.
Menangle Railway Bridge, Menangle, NSW
Together with its sister bridge over the Nepean River at Penrith, the Menangle Railway Bridge is the oldest surviving rail bridge in New South Wales. It was built under the direction of John Whitton when the railway was originally put through. The bridge carries the Main South Line over both Menangle Road and the Nepean River, linking Menangle Park and Menangle. It features multiple 51 metre spans supported by concrete-clad sandstone piers. Each span is a cellular wrought iron box girder with decorative ribs. Extra piers were built in 1927 to add support in floods.
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.
Bowenfels Viaduct (1870), NSW
The picturesque Bowenfels rail viaducts are a series of heritage-listed railway viaducts and railway bridges over Farmers Creek on the Main Western line in Bowenfels, City of Lithgow, New South Wales. It was designed in two stages - by John Whitton as the Engineer-in-Chief for Railways, in 1870; and by engineering staff of New South Wales Government Railways in 1921. The 1870 viaduct was built for the original single track Great Western Railway over Farmers Creek west of Bowenfels Railway Station. When built it was the eighth longest stone bridge completed in Australia
Kempsey Railway Bridge, Kempsey, NSW
The Macleay River railway bridge, also known as the Kempsey rail bridge over Macleay River, is a heritage-listed railway bridge that carries the North Coast railway across the Macleay River from Kempsey to South Kempsey, both in the Kempsey Shire. The bridge is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity of New South Wales (TAHE), a state-owned corporation of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Gundagai Railway Bridge, Gundagai, NSW
The Murrumbidgee River railway bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge across the Murrumbidgee River located on the Tumut railway line at Gundagai. It was built in 1903. Also known as the Gundagai Rail Bridge over Murrumbidgee River and the Murrumbidgee River Railway Bridge, it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Victoria Bridge, Penrith, NSW
Together with its sister bridge at Menangle, the Victoria Bridge is one of the oldest and finest built-for-railway bridges in NSW. Spanning the Hawkesbury River near Penrith, it was built between 1862 and 1865. The bridge features three spans made of wrought-iron of a cellular construction, each 57m in length and resting on two intermediate piers. The bridge was destroyed by floods in 1857. Reconstructed, it was again destroyed in 1860. Restoration of the road bridge was deferred because plans were almost completed for the extension of the railway across the river and over the mountains and it was considered that part of the railway bridge could then be used by road vehicles.
Paterson Railway Bridge, Paterson, NSW
Built from 1909 to 1911, this railway bridge crosses the Paterson River and leads trains through the town of Paterson, NSW. The present township of Paterson, situated six kilometres to the north of the original military station at Old Banks, was the third to be surveyed in the Hunter Valley after Newcastle and Maitland, but was not proclaimed until 1833. With the continuing settlement of the district, Paterson soon became an important tidal river port and service centre to the surrounding community.
Wagga Wagga Railway Bridge, Wagga Wagga, NSW
The Murrumbidgee River railway bridge is a disused railway bridge that carried the Main Southern railway line across the Murrumbidgee River in Wagga Wagga, NSW. The original bridge, erected in 1881, was replaced in 2006. The original four span wrought iron lattice truss bridge opened on 16 January 1881. It was the second oldest bridge out of the twelve related wrought iron lattice truss series bridges built in Australia. Each of the four lattice truss spans were 46 metres long which joined onto what was thought to be the longest timber viaduct in Australia. The bridge was considered as of major importance to the history of bridge engineering in Australia. Wagga Wagga Railway Station is located on the Sydney to Melbourne railway line.
Como Bridge, Como, NSW
Como bridge takes the Illawarra railway line across the Georges River between the Sydney suburbs of Oatley and Como. The original bridge, opened on Christmas Day 1885, remained in use until 1972 when a new double line, pre-stressed concrete structure alongside it was completed and began taking rail traffic. The old bridge was saved from demolition as it carries the pipeline from Woronora Dam to the reservoirs at Penshurst, a function that commenced in 1945 and continues today. The bridge is today used as a footbridge and cycleway.
Hawkesbury River Bridge, NSW
The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge near Dangar Island north of Sydney, NSW, was one Australia's major engineering feats of the 19th century. The river is almost a kilometre wide at the point of crossing which begs the question why this site was chosen in preference to a number of far easier ones upstream.