Murray River road and railway bridge, Tocumwal, Heritage-listed railway bridge in Tocumwal, New South Wales, Australia
The Murray River road and railway bridge at Tocumwal is a three-span iron truss bridge built by the NSW Public Works Department, with its centre span fitted as a vertical lift span for navigation. It carries the Tocumwal railway line across the Murray and is owned by the Transport Asset Manager of New South Wales.
The bridge opened in 1895, built by the NSW Public Works Department with three spans and a central lift span for navigation. It carried road traffic only until strengthened for rail in 1908, then served both until November 1987, when the Edward Hillson Bridge opened upstream and the old bridge became rail-only. It was listed on the NSW State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The bridge carried both road and rail traffic until November 1987, when the concrete Edward Hillson Bridge opened upstream on the Goulburn Valley Highway and the old span was left to the railway. Its lift span was last raised for river traffic in 1933, and in September 1977 both state governments agreed to keep it fixed.
Since November 1987 the bridge carries only the Tocumwal railway line; the concrete Edward Hillson Bridge, a short distance upstream, now takes the Goulburn Valley Highway across the Murray. The lift span has been fixed since September 1977, so no opening should be expected. The structure is owned by the Transport Asset Manager of New South Wales.
The lift span's last operational raising for river traffic was in 1933, after which no maintenance lifting took place for a decade. In September 1977 both state governments agreed to fix the span permanently, and Easter 1995 celebrations included operating it again.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,375 contributors worldwide.