Swan Hill-Murray River Road Bridge

Item details


Name of item:	Swan Hill-Murray River Road Bridge
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Land
Category:	Road Bridge
Location:	Lat: -35.3378571492 Long: 143.5628632520
Primary address:	Main Road 67, Murray Downs, NSW 2734
Local govt. area:	Murray River
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Wamba Wamba

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
PART LOT	65		DP	756603

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Main Road 67	Murray Downs	Murray River			Primary Address
McCallum Street	Murray Downs	Murray River			Alternate Address

Owner/s

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

Statement of significance:


	Swan Hill Bridge is significant under all four criteria - Historical, Aesthetic, Technical, and Social. The significance of the bridge lies in its form, setting and materials. The presence of the lift span is important. The appropriate level of significance in NSW is State and likely of National significance. The form and setting have high aesthetic and social significance. The superstructure construction - Allan timber Trusses and Allan Lift Span have very high significance in the detail and materials. The bridge is the original of its type, and extremely rare. (there is one other example at Tooleybuc).
	Date significance updated: 23 Jun 05
	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


Construction years:	1896-1896
Physical description:	Swan Hill Bridge is a timber truss, steel lift span bridge across the Murray River at Swan Hill. The main axis of the bridge is East - West. There are three main spans including one lift span supported on cast iron cylindrical piers. On the northern side there are three approach spans, and on the southern side there is one. The two main truss spans are 27.9m Allan trusses, with timber cross girders. The main stringers have been replaced with steel I-sections. The deck is timber. The lift span (17.8m) superstructure is constructed with riveted lattice steel. The lifting layout was also developed by Percy Allan. The deck of the lift span is also timber, and traffic is restricted to one lane across the lift span. The approach spans (10.4m to 10.8m) timber girders supporting a timber deck. Piers are timber trestles, including the junctions with the main spans. There is a footway added on the upstream side, using steel beams. this has resulted n modification of the top chord stabilising angles to the Allan Trusses.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The bridge is described as being in fair condition as it has had major rehabilitation in recent years. One truss span was repaired in May 1998.
	Date condition updated:23 Jun 05


Current use:	Road Bridge
Former use:	Aboriginal land and water, road bridge

History

Historical notes:

Sir Thomas Mitchell, the Surveyor General named Swan Hill when he camped there in 1836 on the wide Murray Plain. Mitchell?s head is today the crest of Swan Hill. This area was settled in the subsequent decade in very large stations: on the New South Wales side of the river, Murray Downs under Bell and Wilson covered 60,000 hectares and by the 1860s, under H S Officer, was carrying 6000 sheep. On the Victorian side, the principal runs were Tyntynder and Mercers Vale, established by the Beveridge family as cattle stations.
Because of this pastoral development a punt was installed at Swan Hill as early as 1846. In 1853, when the first two steamers on the river, the Lady Augusta and Mary Ann raced up the river, both stopped at Swan Hill and the Campbell family mounted a ball for the passengers and crew while their wool-clip was loaded. Swan Hill developed wharfage and in the 1860s had two hotels and three stores but only eleven houses. The town continued to develop as a crucial centre for the river trade, overlanding and interstate commerce, with hotels on both sides of the river adjacent to the punt.

The Victorian railway reached Swan Hill in 1889 and the need for a bridge was more and more recognised. A lift-span bridge, allowing the passage of the river-boats, which were still numerous in this area, was planned in 1895 and opened in 1896. The bridge is still in use: Swan Hill, with good road, rail and water links, reached a population of 4000 by 1948, remains the focus of a large area of diversified farming and attracts many tourists to its open-air museum.

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.	River flats-
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-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	Trading amongst the Australian colonies-
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	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	(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	Bridging rivers-
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	Bridge - road-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Swan Hill Bridge is historically very significant. It is hard to differentiate between Historical and Technical Significance in this instance as they are closely intertwined. This bridge has great importance for its association with Percy Allan, who is respected as the outstanding bridge engineer in NSW. In his 46 yeas in the Public Service he designed over 550 bridges, including several outstanding structures. Swan Hill Bridge was one of his major works, and a significant advancement in technology. He was extremely proud of this bridge and prepared a technical paper on it. The bridge demonstrates a major step in the evolving pattern of our moveable bridge history.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The Swan Hill Bridge has aesthetic significance due to its outstanding setting and landmark qualities. The bridge provides a gateway to NSW from the major urban area of Swan Hill. It is a focus of the town to the river, which it dominates by its size and mass. The setting within the town of a lift bridge is rare, being only duplicated (with RTA bridges) at Tooleybuc.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The Swan Hill Bridge has high significance in the Swan Hill / Wakool District as the main urban link across the river and the focus of movements across the river, controlling access of people and commerce. The river is the centre of social and recreational region, and the Swan Hill Bridge is the centre of this area. It is considered an important element in the Region by the local people, although there is concern at its perceived traffic inadequacies.
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.

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		01481	20 Jun 00	-	-
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register	Roads & Traffic s.170

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Tourism		2007	Swan Hill-Murray River Road Bridge	View detail
Tourism	Attraction Homepage	2007	Swan Hill-Murray River Road Bridge	View detail
Written	R.B. Ronald	1960	The Riverina: People and Properties
Written	R.P. Whitworth	1866	Baillieres New South Wales Gazetteer and Road Guide
Written	W.C. Foster	1985	Sir Thomas Livingston Mitchell and his World, 1792-1855

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:	5051385
File number:	H00/00311/1

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