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First Bridge over River TorrensPrint Page Print this page

27-September-2021
27-September-2021

Photographs supplied by Stephen Warren

The stone marks the site of the first bridge over River Torrens which was erected in 1839.

Erected at a cost or £65,000, the new bridge over the River Torrens was officially declared open by His Excellency Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven, V.C. (Governor), at noon today. More than 3,000 persons assembled to witness the ceremony.

Before asking His Excellency to declare the bridge open Mr. Glover (Mayor) gave a brief history of bridges erected over the Torrens. He said that an obelisk was to be placed at a position 300 or 400 yards west of the new bridge, marking the spot where the first temporary bridge across the Torrens was in 1839 erected by workmen employed by the Government.
News (Adelaide, SA), 5 March 1931.

On a granite memorial which has been constructed on the southern bank of River Torrens at the rear of Adelaide Railway Station there is a tablet bearing the following inscription:- "This stone marks the site of the first bridge across the River Torrens in the City of Adelaide. It was constructed of wood in 1839, under the supervision of Mr. Alfred Hardy (the town surveyor). The bridge was twice damaged by floods and finally destroyed in 1844."
News (Adelaide, SA), 13 April 1931.

 

Location

Address:Festival Drive, Near Adelaide Rowing Club, Adelaide, 5000
State:SA
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -34.919487
Long: 138.595802
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Government
Sub-Theme:Colonial
Approx. Event Start Date:1839
Approx. Event End Date:1844

Dedication

Front Inscription

This Stone Marks The Site
Of The First Bridge Across
The River Torrens, In The 
City Of Adelaide. It Was
Constructed Of Wood In 1839
Under The Supervision Of The
Town Surveyor Mr Alfred Hardy.
The Bridge Was Twice Damaged
By Floods & Finally Destroyed
           In 1844.

           1839

 

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au