Wee Jasper Bridge over Goodradigbee River

Item details


Name of item:	Wee Jasper Bridge over Goodradigbee River
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Land
Category:	Road Bridge
Location:	Lat: -35.1106627597 Long: 148.6817358340
Primary address:	Main Road 278, Wee Jasper, NSW 2582
Local govt. area:	Yass Valley
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Brungle/Tumut

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Main Road 278	Wee Jasper	Yass Valley			Primary Address

Owner/s

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

Statement of significance:


	Completed in 1896, the Wee Jasper bridge is an early example of an Allan type timber truss road bridge, and in 1998 was in good condition. As a timber truss road bridge, it has many associational links with important historical events, trends, and people, including the expansion of the road network and economic activity throughout NSW, and Percy Allan, the designer of this type of truss. Allan trusses were third in the five-stage design evolution of NSW timber truss bridges, and were a major improvement over the McDonald trusses which preceded them. Allan trusses were 20% cheaper to build than Mc Donald trusses, could carry 50% more load, and were easier to maintain. In 1998 there were 38 surviving Allan trusses in NSW of the 105 built, and 82 timber truss road bridges survive from the over 400 built. The Wee Jasper bridge is a representative example of Allan timber truss road bridges, and is assessed as being State significant, primarily on the basis of its technical and historical significance.
	Date significance updated: 15 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


Designer/Maker:	Percy Allan
Builder/Maker:	W J Lansdown
Construction years:	1896-1896
Physical description:	Wee Jasper bridge is an Allan type timber truss road bridge. It has a single timber truss span of 27.4m (90ft). There are 2 timber approach spans at each end giving the bridge an overall length of 66.5m (218ft). The 5051389 is supported by timber trestles and provides a single lane carriage way with a minimum width of 4.7m. The guard rail is of timber post and rail construction and extends the full length of the bridge.
	Date condition updated:15 Jun 05


Current use:	Bridge
Former use:	Bridge

History

Historical notes:

Timber truss road bridges have played a significant role in the expansion and improvement of the NSW road network. Prior to the bridges being built, river crossings were often dangerous in times of rain, which caused bulk freight movement to be prohibitively expensive for most agricultural and mining produce. Only the high priced wool clip of the time was able to carry the costs and inconvenience imposed by the generally inadequate river crossings that often existed prior to the trusses construction.
Timber truss bridges were preferred by the Public Works Department from the mid 19th to the early 20th century because they were relatively cheap to construct, and used mostly local materials. The financially troubled governments of the day applied pressure to the Public Works Department to produce as much road and bridge work for as little cost as possible, using local materials. This condition effectively prohibited the use of iron and steel, as these, prior to the construction of the steel works at Newcastle in the early 20th century, had to be imported from England.

Allan trusses were the first truly scientifically engineered timber truss bridges, and incorporate American design ideas for the first time. This is a reflection of the changing mindset of the NSW people, who were slowly accepting that American ideas could be as good as or better than European ones. The high quality and low cost of the Allan truss design entrenched the dominance of timber truss bridges for NSW roads for the next 30 years.

Percy Allan, the designer of Allan truss and other bridges, was a senior engineer of the Public Works Department, and a prominent figure in late 19th century NSW.

Timber truss bridges, and timber bridges generally were so common that NSW was known to travellers as the "timber bridge state".

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
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-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Through the bridge's association with the expansion of the NSW road network, its ability to demonstrate historically important concepts such as the gradual acceptance of NSW people of American design ideas, and its association with Percy Allan, it has historical significance.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The bridge exhibits the technical excellence of its design, as all of the structural detail is clearly visible. The bridge is set in an impressive rural landscape, appearing as a natural part of its surroundings. As such, the bridge has substantial aesthetic significance.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	Timber truss bridges are prominent to road travellers, and NSW has in the past been referred to as the "timber truss bridge state". Through this, the complete set of bridges gain some social significance, as they could be said to be held in reasonable esteem by many travellers in NSW. The Wee Jasper bridge also compliments the isolated character of Wee Jasper.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	Rare - In 1998 there were 38 surviving Allan trusses in NSW of the 105 built, and 82 timber truss road bridges survive from the over 400 built.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	Representative of Allan truss bridges
Integrity/Intactness:	Intact
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		01485	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	Wee Jasper Bridge over Goodradigbee River	View detail
Written	Allan, Percy	1924	Higfhway Bridge Construction. The practice in New South Wales
Tourism	Attraction Homepage	2007	Wee Jasper Bridge over Goodradigbee River	View detail
Written	Department of Main Roads, NSW	1987	Timber Truss Bridge Maintenance Handbook

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:	5051389
File number:	H00/00307/1

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