George Chaffey Bridge over Murray River, Mildura

Item details


Name of item:	George Chaffey Bridge over Murray River, Mildura
Other name/s:	RTA Bridge No. 7296
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Land
Category:	Road Bridge
Primary address:	Sturt Highway, Mildura, NSW 2738
Local govt. area:	Wentworth

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Sturt Highway	Mildura	Wentworth			Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Transport for NSW	State Government

Statement of significance:


	The George Chaffey Bridge is of Local significance. It has historical significance for its association with a major personality in the development of the region. The remnants of the former bridge have significance as ruins.
	Date significance updated: 14 May 98
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	L. Holla
Physical description:	George Chaffey bridge is a concrete bridge two lanes wide, across the Murray River at Mildura. The main axis of the bridge is North-South. The bridge has nine spans. There are seven central spans of 37m, and end spans at each end of 30.8m. The bridge is of prestressed concrete box girder construction. Deck width is 9.8m between kerbs. There are footways on both sides. The substructure consists of reinforced concrete blade piers supported on piles. The bridge provides navigational clearance over the estimated high flood level. Preserved near the bridge are remnants of the former bridge on the site. On the Mildura side there also remains a pile of scrap steel from the former bridge.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Original condition assessment: 'The bridge is in excellent condition.' (Last updated: 14/05/1998.) 2007-08 condition update: 'Good.' (Last updated: 17/4/09.)
	Date condition updated:17 Apr 09


Current use:	Road bridge
Former use:	Road bridge

History

Historical notes:

Mildura is still a young city, born of the grape and irrigated water. The original Mildura station in Victoria, and the Williams station opposite in New South Wales were sheep-farms of the 1850s, sending their produce down river on the new breed of steamers and their barges. The early urban development took place after 1859 at Wentworth, sited strategically at the junction of the Darling and the Murray. The creation of Mildura was primarily the result of the enthusiasm of the politician Arthur Deakin and the Canadian proselytiser for irrigation, George Chaffey. Chaffey came to Australia in 1886 after he and his family had founded Ontario on diverted water. He bought Mildura station, eaten out by rabbits and eaten up by drought, because in its garden, under the wind-pump, grapevines still flourished: later in 1886 an agreement between the Victorian government and George and William B Chaffey granted 100,000 hectares around Mildura to establish an irrigation settlement, initially on 20,000 hectares, using Murray water.

Mildura municipality was a corporate reality in 1890: there were already four suburbs, a port, a shipyard. The first dried fruits of the irrigation scheme were sold in 1891. But the bank crashes of 1893 and conflict between the Chaffeys and the Irrigation Trust led to dramatic failure and the dismantling of the Chaffey empire in 1896-7: George went off to irrigate the Colorado desert instead. Mildura did not begin to recover until soldier settlement allotments began there from 1921 onwards and the dried fruit industry revived.

All this activity in the 1880s, 1890s and 1920 onwards created a need for transport facilities beyond the river steamers, which were in decline after 1890. A punt was, however, the only way across the Murray until 1924 when a bridge with a lift span was built just upstream, linking with the railhead which connected Mildura to Melbourne. There was no need for a railway bridge since the New South Wales system did not go further south-west than Hay. The 1924 bridge was demolished in 1981 when the present bridge was erected at the same place, using the same access routes in both states. William Chaffey (who had remained in Australia) is commemorated by a statue in the city; George has his commemoration in the naming of the bridge.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Technology-Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences	(none)-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	(none)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The George Chaffey Bridge has historical significance through its position in the evolving pattern of the history of Mildura, and its association with George Chaffey. Although the bridge is of modern construction, the site is representative of the river crossing that is an integral part of the establishment of Mildura as a major rural city and the capital of Sunraysia. The city and the surrounding rural area both owe their establishment to George Chaffey who saw the potential for fertile land with irrigation. This bridge honours the pioneer of Sunraysia (Fig. 6).
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The George Chaffey Bridge has aesthetic significance due to its outstanding setting and landmark qualities. The bridge dominates the surrounding landscape due to its height and length. It rises well above the river flats which are the focus of the city of Mildura. The bridge carries the major highway into the city and serves as the gateway to the City of Mildura. It is finely proportioned, and finished to a high quality. It is a very fine example of a major prestressed concrete bridge, and is unique in size and type in the region and across the Murray.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The George Chaffey Bridge has high social significance as the focal point between the City and the river. The city exists because of the river, which provide the irrigation that drives the commercial life of the city. The river is broad at Mildura and forms a focal point for social activity. However it also forms a barrier to movement, and, importantly, a boundary between the two States of Victoria and NSW. The bridge forms the main artery for the life of the city, controlling access of people and commerce. The remains of the old crossing show the significance that the bridge has in the life of the people of the region.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The bridge has some technical / research significance as it is a very fine example of a major prestressed concrete bridge, and is outstanding because of its setting, condition and size. It is a significant variation to the other Murray Crossings.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Murray Crossings Heritage Study	1998		Hughes Trueman Reinhold		Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Ernestine Hill	1937	Water into Gold
Written	P Westcott	0	Chaffey, George (1848 - 1932) and William Benjamin (1856-1926) Australian Dictionary of Biography

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	State Government
Database number:	4301083

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