First Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge - The Final link

By 1888 it was possible to travel by rail from Adelaide to Sydney and from Newcastle to Brisbane. The railway lines were connected from Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney to Brooklyn on the south side of the Hawkesbury River and from Brisbane, Newcastle to Wondabyne on Mullet Creek (off the Hawkesbury River) to the north. Prior to a railway bridge being built, passengers travelling north or south between Brooklyn and Gosford had to be shipped between the two railway stations by the stern wheel paddle steamer, General Gordon. The inconvenience to travellers caused by the missing rail link was clear by the following description from that time, “the double transfer, with luggage, &c., was most irksome, and the delay thus involved was a serious drawback to the comfort of the journey”‘ In the case of freight trains, the railcars were driven onto barges and towed across by tugboats. A bridge was obviously needed to complete the final link across the Hawkesbury River.

The opening of the bridge took place on May 1 1889 with much fanfare. At the time the bridge was declared the greatest engineering feat undertaken in the southern hemisphere and its opening was celebrated with official guests from around the world attending together with many locals. The governor, Lord Carrington declared the bridge open while the Premier Sir Henry Parkes proposed the toast ‘United Australia’ and the significance of linking the four major cities in Australia. The longest possible rail journey would now take the traveller from Charleville in Queensland to Coward Springs in South Australia. The premier believed that this desire to be linked together would bring federation to fruition. For Parkes the bridge became the symbol of Federation and his ‘United Australia’ speech has been claimed by many to be his first Federation speech

Strengthening of the bridge to carry heavier and faster trains took place between 1926 and 1931. During WWII, the bridge was heavily used to carry military supplies however, continuous deterioration and serious structural faults led to the decision that the bridge had to be finally replaced. In July 1946 soon after the war ended, the new eight truss railway bridge measuring 2764ft (1910 m) and with its deepest caisson descending over 183ft (60 m), was opened. This newer bridge is symmetrical with 2 short Pratt trusses at the shore lines, then 2 large K—trusses, with 4 large Pratt trusses in between. The bridge crosses the Hawkesbury River just west of the remnant piers and abutments of the original bridge, approximately 1 km north of the Hawkesbury River Station. The spans of the old bridge were removed by floating them off each pier on the rise and fall of the tide, then dismantled. The steel was then transported to other parts of the state and re-assembled to form bridges across various other watenivays

Both of the railway bridges have been awarded with State heritage significance. The bridges have met the selection criteria on many levels including historic, aesthetic and social significance. As well as, both were/are rare examples of their type of construction and high levels of engineering skills, and have potential research value in the future. Historically the original bridge will be significant for the linking of four major cities by rail, its importance in the WWII effort, and was seen as the first symbol of Federation. The newer bridge is historically important mainly for the fact that it is still the longest railway bridge in New South Wales today. Both bridges were aesthetically important for presence set among rugged and beautiful landscape. The remaining remnants of the sandstone are also classified as aesthetically beautiful. The social impact both bridges have had cannot be ignored. Not only did the bridges effect the social and economic development locally but certainly the Central Coast, Hunter Valley and northern New South Wales also was affected significantly.