History
The three and a half lives of Victoria Bridge
CHRIS CURRIE discovers that Victoria Bridge – Brisbane River’s first road crossing – has a history full of reinvention, progress and resilience.
For Brisbane’s first 20 years as a free settlement, the only way for passengers and goods to cross the Brisbane River (Maiwar) was by ferry.
To help connect the rapidly growing city with the southern suburbs, the Brisbane council announced in 1861 that it intended to build a bridge connecting Queen Street with Melbourne Street and ran a contest for its design.
A large iron lattice-girder bridge won the contest, but – unable to afford the steel required to build it and facing state government opposition – the council opted for a temporary wooden bridge as it waited to finalise the funding.
In June 1865, the newly christened Brisbane Bridge was completed. Unfortunately, the makeshift structure – weakened by flood and riddled with holes from marine worms – collapsed in November 1867 (one witness saying it occurred mere moments after the Cobb & Co Ipswich coach had passed over it).
Brisbane residents would have to return to ferries for six-and-a-half more years until, on June 15, 1874, the Victoria Bridge was opened.
It was named after the reigning monarch, fortified with concrete pylons and featured a footpath on each side for pedestrians.
At 4am on February 6, 1893, the northern half of the bridge was completely destroyed by debris (including whole houses) surging down the river during the Great Flood of Brisbane.
State Library of Queensland photographs show the extensive and historic impact of this shocking event, where the bridge appears surgically cut in half “as sharp and as clean as it could have been by workmen employed for the purpose”.
The next Victoria Bridge was constructed of steel, wrought iron, stone and cement. It was built in two halves: the first opened in 1896, consisting of a single lane of traffic and a walkway for pedestrians, with the second half completed in June 1897, adding another traffic lane and footpath.
It stayed in service for 73 years until April 14, 1969, when it was officially replaced with the current, third Victoria Bridge – a “monster structure” comprising a three-span haunched girder bridge with extra lanes, built to meet growing traffic demands. There was a short period when both bridges stood next to each other, which can be seen in this extraordinary picture.
Unlike its predecessors, the current Victoria Bridge has weathered several major floods, including 1974 and 2010-11. In January 2021, the bridge was permanently closed to general traffic, allowing only public transport and pedestrians.
Today, work is underway to once again transform the bridge in anticipation of the completion of Brisbane City Council’s Metro service and to improve active transport connections between the city’s north and south.
It’s fascinating to observe the documentary evidence, much of which is held in State Library collections, of how the bridge’s various stages of development, destruction, repair and celebration have reflected the growth, adaptation and reinvention of the city whose two halves it connects.
Explore more history at slq.qld.gov.au.
