Lewisham Railway viaducts over Long Cove Creek

Item details


Name of item:	Lewisham Railway viaducts over Long Cove Creek
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Railway Bridge/ Viaduct
Location:	Lat: -33.8922684168 Long: 151.1445915490
Primary address:	Great Southern and Western Railway, Lewisham, NSW 2049
Local govt. area:	Inner West
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Metropolitan

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
PART PORTION	1		DP	1003675
PART LOT	45		DP	869476

Boundary:

North: Outside edge of the viaduct South: Outside edge of the viaduct (inclusive of Whipple Truss) East: 5 metres beyond the end of the viaduct section West: 5 metres beyond the end of the viaduct section

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Type
Great Southern and Western Railway	Lewisham	Inner West	Primary Address
Grosvenor Crescent	Summer Hill	Inner West	Alternate Address
Great Southern and Western Railway	Summer Hill	Inner West	Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
TAHE - Sydney Trains	State Government	03 Nov 98

Statement of significance:


	Lewisham viaduct over Long Cove Creek has state significance as the site of different railway underbridges which represent significant phases in the development of the NSW railways. At the time of its construction it was the largest bridge on the line; the subsequent use of the extant Whipple Trusses (on display on-site) was historically significant as it was one of only four bridges in NSW to employ such Trusses; the addition of the existing Warren Trusses to the north side of the viaduct dates from the 1926-27 sextuplication of the line. The viaduct with the Warren Trusses which has remained largely intact forms a significant landmark in the local area. The viaduct is also significant for its association with NSW Railways Engineer-in-Chief John Whitton and his successor George Cowdery.
	Date significance updated: 01 Sep 10
	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:	NSW Government Railways
Builder/Maker:	NSW Government Railways
Construction years:	1886-1926
Physical description:	STRUCTURES Girders: plate web girders on local lines (1993) Girders: plate web girders on suburban lines (1998) Trusses: Warren trusses on main lines (1926) Display Trusses: Whipple trusses displayed under viaduct (1886) CONTEXT The Lewisham viaducts trusses are located 0.25 km west of Lewisham Station. The structure which comprises of recently installed plate web girders and original Warren trusses carries local, suburban and main lines over Long Cove Creek. The original Whipple trusses which have been replaced by the plate web girders have been removed and displayed adjacent to the viaducts. GIRDERS (On local lines) There are three pairs of double track, welded plate web girders which carry two local lines over Long Cove Creek. Each span of steel girders is 27.13 m and are supported by brick piers and abutments. GIRDERS (On suburban lines) There are three pairs of double track, welded plate web girders which carry two suburban lines over Long Cove Creek. The girders are made of steel and are supported on brick piers and abutments. TRUSSES (On main lines) There are three pairs of single track deck Warren trusses which carry the main lines over Long Cove Creek. Each span is 27.13 m and supported by brick piers and abutments. DISPLAY TRUSSES (Displayed under viaduct) A pair of original Whipple trusses has been retained on site. These are wrought-iron, pin-jointed deck trusses which were developed in America. ARCHAEOLOGICAL POTENTIAL The Lewisham viaducts have moderate archaeological potential. Any evidence of the 1882 Lattice trusses on the suburban lines has been removed when replacement with plate web girders in 1998. However the pair of original 1886 Whipple trusses that have been retained on site and put on display under the viaduct, and provide evidence of the historic structures that were employed over the viaducts.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	GIRDERS (On local lines) The girders are in good condition. GIRDERS (On suburban lines) The girders are in good condition. TRUSSES (On main lines) The Warren trusses are in good condition. DISPLAY TRUSSES (Displayed under viaduct) The Whipple trusses under the viaducts are in good condition.
	Date condition updated:01 Sep 10
Modifications and dates:	1928: Local and Suburban lines electrified to Homebush. 1955: Main lines electrified to Homebush. 1993: Whipple truss spans replaced.


Current use:	Railway Viaduct
Former use:	Aboriginal land, timber-getting, farmland

History

Historical notes:

Land ownership history - pre and post contact.
The land ... (at) Stanmore is the traditional land of the Cadigal Wangal people of the Eora nation. The Cadigal land stretches from South Head, through central Sydney to the area around Petersham and to the south along the Cooks River. Wangal land was located from about present day Birchgrove and ran west along the southern shore of the Parramatta River to Rose Hill near Parramatta. (Marrickville Council. 2015 www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au/en/community/community-development/aboriginal ).

The Cadigal Wangal people were salt water people, skilled at living from the coastal and harbour waters and resources of the Cooks river. Accounts from the memoirs of first fleet officers W Clements and J Saddlier describe seeing Aboriginal people fishing from canoes and others preparing fish on the banks of the cooks river. The existence of several large shell middens at the mouth of the Cooks river and near the many sandstone rock shelters in the escarpment running along the Cooks river, also attests to the skill of the traditional landowners in harvesting the resources of their environs. (Leslie Muir. 2013. Aboriginal People of the Cooks River Valley. www.dictionarofsydney.org).

The traditional people of the area also made use of resources of the woodlands away from the waterways where plants were foraged and kangaroo, birds and possums were hunted. Campsites were most often made near the coast and river especially during the warmer seasons of the year. Movement through the Cadigal Wangal territory was made via regularly used tracks many of which have been adapted as roads for later colonial and modern-day movement around Sydney. (A. Heiss and M-J Gibson 2015. Aboriginal People and Place. Sydneybarani.com.au).

Colonisation:
In 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip arrived in Sydney Cove and established the penal colony of NSW. After this the lives of the Cadigal Wangal people changed dramatically. Their traditional food supply was encroached upon by the new settlers and the diseases such as smallpox the Europeans brought with the, severely decimated the local Aboriginal population. (A. Heiss and M-J Gibson 2015. Aboriginal People and Place. Sydneybarani.com.au)

The pattern of European dispossession of Aboriginal people from their land accelerated, when in 1792, Governor Phillip received 'Additional Instructions' dated 1789, allowing him to grant land for church and school uses. Church and School and Crown lands which extended to the north eastern corner of the current municipality if Marrickville. (Fox and Associates. 1986. Marrickville Heritage Study p. 16).

Further communiques from the British government allowed the granting of land to British Officers in 1792. With the aim of establishing a chain of farms between Sydney and Parramatta, land grants were made along the road to Parramatta. In 1793 Lieutenant Thomas Rowley was granted land, an estate he named Kingston, in the area now known as Newtown, part of Camperdown and part of Stanmore (C Meader. 2008. Stanmore. www.dictionaryofsydney.org ).

In 1793 Lieutenant-Governor Major Grose sent a number of workmen to clear virgin bush and plant corn and wheat in this area south-west of the town to ease the food shortage in the colony. He gave the distirct the name of Peters-Ham in memory of his native village near Richmond, Surrey, England. That Peters-Ham is an ancient village with records dating from the 9th century. Petersham remained an agricultural area for a long time. In 1803 Governor King gave prizes for the best crops and stock produced on farms in the colony, and Petersham was one of the areas in which prizes were awarded. Kangaroo hunting became a popular sport in the area...Originally the name Petersham covered a much wider area than today. An early Sydney barrister, Robert Wardell, purchased land from many grantees in the district in 1831, extending from Petersham to Cooks River. Eventually he held 2000 acres, and his home was built on the site later occupied by the Petersham Public School. Shortly after his murder by escaped convicts in 1834, the first subdivision of his estate took place. One of the buyers was Thomas Weedon, who built the Cherry Tree, the first inn in Petersham, on Parramatta Road...Stanmore Road, a mere bush track in those days, opened in 1835... New Canterbury Road was laid out in 1859. Petersham was the first resting place for bullock teams going from Sydney to Parramatta and Liverpool, and beyond. It took the bullocks a day to come from Sydney to Petersham, and this first stop was a blessing for man and beast (Pollen & Healy, 1990, 205).

Lewisham like its neighbours, Summer Hill and Petersham, developed with construction of the Main Western railway line in the 1850s (Pollen & Healy, 1990, 152).

Lewisham as a Railway Suburb:
The first section of railway built in New South Wales was opened as a single line from the Cleveland Paddocks (near Cleveland Street overbridge) to a site west of Granville on 26 September 1855. It was duplicated by June 1856.

The largest structure on the line was the 8-span stone arch viaduct over Long Cove Creek on the western side of Petersham. By the 1880s deterioration lead to its replacement by 3 pairs of 90-foot Whipple trusses, they were American type wrought iron, pin-jointed deck trusses. The bridge was only one of two bridges in NSW to employ the Whipple Truss (the other being a road bridge over the Shoalhaven River at Nowra). These were subsequently replaced by welded, deck plate web girders in 1993. A pair of the Whipple trusses are on display on the southern side of the Lewisham Viaduct.

Two more tracks (quadruplication) were added in 1892 using 3 double track deck trusses of the British lattice type. These were also replaced by welded, deck plate web girders in 1998. Two further tracks were added for the sextuplication during 1925/27, on the northern side of the viaduct, for which three pairs of riveted steel, deck Warren trusses were erected. They are still in use.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Cadigal tribe - Eora nation-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Wangal clan - Dharug Nation-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Aboriginal Culture-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of institutions - productive and ornamental-
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	Building the railway network-
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	Bridging rivers-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Administering and alienating Crown lands-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Changing land uses - from rural to suburban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Resuming private lands for public purposes-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	20th Century infrastructure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th Century Infrastructure-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Railway work culture-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	State government-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - conserving cultural and natural heritage-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - building and operating public infrastructure-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - building and administering rail networks-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Lewisham viaduct over Long Cove Creek has historical significance at a state level as the site of different railway underbridges which represent significant phases in the development of the NSW railways. The stone arch viaduct built during the first phase of NSW railway construction in the 1850s was the largest structure on line; its subsequent replacement with Whipple Trusses in the 1880s was historically significant as it was one of only four bridges in NSW to employ such trusses; the 1890s addition of British lattice deck trusses to accommodate extra tracks represented the 1892 quadruplication of the line and the 1920s addition of currently used Warren Trusses to the north side of the viaduct demonstrated the 1926-27 sextuplication of the line. The currently displayed Whipple Truss on site and the extant Warren Trusses are able to collectively demonstrate the growth of the railways during the late 19th and early 20th century.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	Lewisham viaduct is significant for its association with NSW Railways Engineer-in-Chief John Whitton who was responsible for encouraging the use of Whipple Trusses at the underbridge in the 1880s. His successor George Cowdery was influential in implementing the use of Warren Trusses for the 1920s sextuplication.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Lewisham viaduct with the Warren Trusses which has remained largely intact has local aesthetic significance as it forms a significant landmark in the local area. The viaduct has state technical significance as at the time of its construction in the 1850s, it was the largest structure on line and to date it is the largest underbridge on this section of the railway. The Whipple Truss displayed on site and the Warren Trusses which are still in use exemplify the technology employed for railway underbridges during the late 19th and early 20th century.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	Lewisham viaduct has moderate research potential as the pair of original 1886 Whipple trusses that have been retained and put on display adjacent to the viaduct have a high level of integrity and are able to provide evidence of late 19th century engineering technology that was employed on two sites within NSW. The historic engineering marker placed on site by the Institution of Engineers Australia demonstrates that the site is a benchmark in terms of the engineering technology that was used for the viaducts.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	Lewisham viaduct has rarity in terms of the Whipple trusses as the Lewisham viaduct was one of two such bridges in NSW which employed the Whipple Truss, the other being a road bridge over the Shoalhaven River at Nowra. Similarly the extant and operational Warren Trusses are rare on the New South Wales railway system.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	Lewisham viaduct is representative of Warren trusses bridge construction.
Integrity/Intactness:	The integrity of the Lewisham viaduct as a whole is considered to be moderate. The original 1926 Warren trusses carrying the main lines over the viaducts have been retained in their original condition and functioning. However the removal of the original Whipple and Lattice trusses and their replacement with modern plate web girders has reduced the integrity of the viaducts. GIRDERS (On local lines) These are recent constructions. GIRDERS (On suburban lines) These are recent constructions. TRUSSES (On main lines) The 1926 Warren trusses retain their original fabric. DISPLAY TRUSSES (Displayed under viaduct) The Whipple trusses retain their 1886 original fabric.
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.

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		01043	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Pollen, Frances (ed.) and Healy, Gerald	1990	'Lewisham' and 'Petersham' entries

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:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5012079

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