Old Cobram-Barooga Bridge, Heritage footbridge and road bridge across Murray River in Barooga, Australia.
The Old Cobram-Barooga Bridge is a timber and steel pedestrian crossing that spans the Murray River between two towns. It uses a combination of wooden trusses and steel supports with wooden approaches on both sides and features a section that lifts to allow river boats to pass.
The crossing was built between 1900 and 1902 by the New South Wales Department of Public Works using designs by Ernest de Burgh. A parallel vehicle bridge constructed in 2006 changed its role, and it now functions exclusively as a pedestrian structure with heritage protection.
The crossing served as a vital link between two regions, representing how communities organized their trade and movement across boundaries. Today it shows how a simple engineering solution became important to people's daily lives and economic activities.
The bridge functions as a free public footpath and requires no special arrangements to visit or walk across. Both ends are easily accessible from the towns, making it a straightforward walking route that offers river views.
The structure uses a special timber-and-steel construction called De Burgh composite trusses, which was an innovative engineering solution for its time. The lift span rises to about 14 meters to allow river vessels passage, though few boats use this opening today.
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