Princes Bridge, Stone bridge in central Melbourne, Australia

Princes Bridge is a stone structure spanning the Yarra River, connecting Swanston Street on the north bank with St Kilda Road on the south bank. The construction carries multiple lanes of vehicle traffic, trams, pedestrians, and cyclists at the same time.

The current structure was completed in 1888 and replaced earlier wooden and stone bridges that had served since the 1840s during Melbourne's early settlement. The design resulted from an 1879 competition won by architect John Grainger.

The bridge is part of Melbourne's architectural heritage with granite columns and iron arches showing Victorian craftsmanship. It connects different parts of the city and is used daily by thousands of people moving between cultural institutions along the Yarra River.

The bridge carries road, tram and pedestrian traffic between Swanston Street and St Kilda Road, so trams run straight across it. Its south end meets the Yarra bank near the arts precinct, and the north end leads into the central city grid. Because it is a focal point for events such as Moomba and New Year's Eve, expect crowds on those nights.

The 1850 bluestone arch bridge that stood here was one of the longest and flattest stone arch spans in the world, 46 m across with a rise of only 7 m. Its stones were lettered and numbered before dismantling in 1884, intended for re-erection elsewhere, but the material was reused in the 1888 bridge instead.