Murrumbidgee River railway bridge, Gundagai, Railway bridge in Gundagai, Australia
The Murrumbidgee River railway bridge is a railway bridge crossing the river in Gundagai and consists primarily of wooden beams resting on tall timber supports. The design combines steel trusses for structural strength with timber decks spanning across 77 sections that carry the entire weight.
The structure was built in 1903 as part of a new railway line connecting Cootamundra to Tumut and was fabricated by an American company. The connection allowed trains to cross what had been a major obstacle and remained in service for over 80 years.
The bridge shows how railways shaped the region in the early 1900s and the engineering solutions chosen for crossing wide floodplains. It belongs to those structures that changed daily life for local people by opening new transportation routes.
The structure is no longer open to train traffic but can be viewed from the outside and offers good vantage points from the river banks. The area is easily accessible and information about local history is available in museums and exhibits throughout Gundagai.
The wooden components suffer intense damage from water and weather exposure, making ongoing preservation of this historical structure a continuous challenge. The condition demonstrates how difficult it can be to maintain such large structures across decades.
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