Main North Road Bridge Willaston

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Place type:	Locality
Town or Locality:	Willaston

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Willaston Bridges

DESCRIPTION:

This is an iron girder (or ‘beam’) bridge spanning the North Gawler River on the Main North Road, having a waterway width of 55 metres. There are three spans of approximately 18 metres each supported on sandstone piers 1.5 metres thick, resting on concrete foundations which lie on the natural gravel bed. There are five wrought-iron plate girders laid side-by-side, 19 metres in length and 1.5 metres in depth, to each span. The underside of the girders on the central span are 1 metre above the level of the 1889 flood. The deck was originally composed of red gum, jarrah, and karri, covered with a coating of asphalt, later replaced by reinforced concrete, and is 7 metres wide. The masonry work from the earlier (1868) abutments is incorporated in the current north and south abutments, and there are pilasters and parapets of cut stone running back some distance from the end of the girders. The roadway is embanked on both sides and has wrought iron handrails with modern chain link fencing and guard rails.

STATEMENT OF HERITAGE VALUE:

The Willaston Bridge, constructed in 1890, is the fourth iteration of a bridge at this critical crossing point on North Para River. It is associated with the vital role of road transport communications to opening up the northern areas of South Australia for mining, pastoral and agricultural industries in the colonial period which had begun with the first bridge in 1842. Locally, the bridge crossing also facilitated the growth of the new townships of Willaston (1848) and Bertha (1850) and gave their residents and businesses an important connection with the main township of Gawler. As a simple, yet accomplished, girder bridge design displaying fine iron and stonework, the Willaston Bridge has high aesthetic merit. Including ironwork by notable local manufacturer, James Martin & Co., the bridge displays local construction techniques. Visible from a number of vantage points and of substantial length, the Willaston Bridge has displayed landmark qualities for over 130 years.

BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

The site chosen by William Light for the township of Gawler in the 1839 Special Survey took advantage of the natural topography and proximity to a reliable water supply in the North and South Para Rivers. The crossing points at the north and south entrances to the town contributed to its success as a natural stopping point for traffic on the way to the agricultural lands newly opened up in the north, and later for the copper mining areas of Burra and Kapunda. The first bridge, a 30 metre long wooden structure with stone abutments, was built over the North Para River in line with Murray Street in 1842. It was washed away in 1847. In 1848 another wooden bridge was built, where the present bridge now stands, providing access to the new township of Willaston established by William Paxton on the northern side of the river.

The location adjacent to the only crossing point on that part of the river gave Willaston’s early commercial activities an economic boost. During the mineral boom long lines of ore-laden wagons passed through on their way south, as well as loads of wool bales from the Barossa and pastoral lands further north, and prior to the extension of the railway, all the stores needed to support the growing population in the north. The Willaston Hotel located next to the northern bridge approach offered a welcome refreshment stop for bullockies and other travellers on the road. The heavy traffic soon took its toll on the narrow timber structure, which needed to be strengthened in 1858. In 1868 the Central Road Board approved £3000 for a new and stronger bridge, but this too collapsed and was washed away in 1889, when the district experienced its worst ever flood. All four footbridge were also swept away, and for a while the only connection between Gawler and Willaston was via the old fords or a makeshift footbridge comprising an iron girder retrieved from the ruined bridge and laid across a narrow point of the river. A wire line was thrown across to transfer the mails when the river was too high to cross at all.

The plans for the present bridge were prepared in the office of the Inspector of Roads, supervised by Mr D Kay as Clerk of Works. Local Gawler engineering firm Martin & Co were the contractors for the iron work, and Messrs. Schneemilch and Thomas for the masonry work. It took nearly a year and a half to complete the present bridge, which was opened on 9 September 1890 by Sir John Downer. The final cost, estimated at £3,500, had blown out to double at £7,000. To make things worse, the width of the completed bridge (at a little under 7m) was considered too narrow to carry a wagonload of hay. There was also criticism of the layout of the approaches from the Gawler side, and the failure to make provision for future needs such as a tramway. However, it was generally agreed that the finished bridge was a ‘noble structure that without doubt would withstand any flood’.

The Evening Journal published a detailed description of the bridge as follows:

The bridge is a very substantial structure of mason and ironwork, having a waterway of 180 ft. There are three spans of 60 ft. each on stone piers 5 ft. thick, resting on foundations of cement concrete, lying on the natural gravel bed. There are five wrought-iron plate girders, 63 ft. 6 in. in length and 5 ft. in depth to each span. The bottom of the girders on the central span is 3ft. above the level of last year's flood, and 7 ft. 3 in. above the bottom of the old girders. There is a fall of 6 in. from the centre of the bridge to the abutments, The flooring of the bridge is 4 ½ in. thick, and is composed of red gum, jarrah, and karri, and is covered with a coating of asphalt, 22 ft. wide and 8 in. thick in the centre. There is a footpath on the downstream side elevated a little above the roadway. The bridge is painted with anticorrosive paint of a deep chocolate colour, excepting the hand-rails and fascia, which are painted white, and thus serve to give it a light appearance. The mason work in the old abutments is utilized by being raised to a sufficient height, and there are pilasters and parapets of cut stone running back some distance from the end of the girders. The roadway is embanked on both sides, the approach on the Willaston side having a gradient of 1 in 20, and on the Gawler side 1 in 30 and 42 respectively. The rain water is carried away by cast-iron guttering on each side of the roadway. The weight of the girders is 117 tons, and the bridge is calculated to carry a weight equal to a pressure of 100 lb. to the square foot.

The bridge has remained in service for 130 years, and appears to be little altered in appearance since first built, apart from the removal of stone pillars and short section of masonry wall at either end and resurfacing of the deck. It has withstood several severe floods, including one in 1952 in which both the Willaston and North Gawler footbridges were wrenched from their supports and totally destroyed.

Please <click here> to view photos of the Willaston Bridge.