Richmond Bridge (Tasmania)

The Richmond Bridge is the oldest large stone bridge in Australia and is still used today.

Richmond Bridge

Geographical location

It is located on a road outside the city of Richmond in Tasmania , 25 km from Hobart .

history

Plaque with the history of the bridge

The Richmond area was farmed by European settlers from 1803. That was finished in 1820. Wheat was grown successfully . In order to be able to transport the harvested grain away, a permanent crossing of the Coal River was necessary. Before the bridge was built, this was done through a ford south of the place where the bridge was built. The ford could not be used during floods.

In December 1823 the site for the bridge was selected. It was built by convicts. It was completed in late 1824 / early 1825. A permanent road connection between Hobart , the east coast of Tasmania and the Tasman Peninsula was now ensured.

In 1872 the Sorell Causeway to Hobart was opened, which directly connected the Tasman Peninsula and Hobart, whereupon the traffic importance of the bridge declined. From the 1920s the bridge was shown on postcards and in the 1960s the historical value and importance of the structure was recognized. She was featured on Australian postage stamps in 1976 and 2000. Today it is visited by around 200,000 people annually and is a tourist attraction. Since November 25, 2005 it has been entered on the Australian National Heritage List and is a listed building .

Building

The bridge was built solidly from local sandstone from Butchers Hill . It consists of six arches with spans of 4.30, 8.10, 8.30, 8.50, 8.30 and 4.10 meters. The technical construction was carried out by Thomas Bell, the colonial engineer, and the stonemason William Wilson. It was originally named Commissioner John Thomas Bigge .