Red Bridge, Brick arch bridge in Campbell Town, Tasmania.
The Red Bridge carries the Midland Highway over the Elizabeth River at Campbell Town on three brick arches, each spanning 7.6 m (25 ft). It was built in 1838 of about 1,250,000 handmade bricks, laid on dry land before the river was diverted to run beneath the arches. It is the oldest surviving brick arch bridge in Australia.
The bridge was completed in 1838 using convict labor and became the first permanent crossing of the Elizabeth River in Tasmania's Northern Midlands region. This construction marked a turning point for transportation during the colony's early development.
The structure displays colonial building methods through its handmade bricks and dressed sandstone supports, showing how infrastructure was created during Tasmania's early settlement. You can see the care taken in each element, reflecting the skills brought from Britain.
The structure sits on an active highway and can be viewed from nearby roads or approached on foot from surrounding areas, though visitors should stay alert to traffic. The brick and stone surfaces remain solid underfoot if you stand on the bridge itself.
The bridge was first built on dry land beside the Elizabeth River, and only afterwards was the water diverted to run beneath its arches. Convict labourers dug roughly a kilometre of new channel on each side of the structure to make the switch.
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