Home » Themes » Landscape » Settlement
John FoordPrint Page 
The bridge commemorates John Foord who was born in England 1819 and died in 1883. Foord founded Wahgunyah in Victoria in 1856, and North Wahgunyah which is now Corowa in 1859.
The bridge was recognised as a National Engineering landmark in 2001.
John Foord (1819 – 1883) "The Emperor of Wahgunyah", settled on the Murray River near the Ovens junction (on the southern side of the river) in the early 1840s. In about 1843 Foord and a man named Bould examined the country about the present site of Wahgunyah and recommended it to John Crisp, who was the first European to settle in the area. Later Crisp sold his land to John Foord. With the development of steamer transport on the Murray River in the mid-1850s, Foord purchased a punt which was brought up to Wahgunyah by the steamer Leichhardt. Foord built two extensive warehouses which he let to river navigation companies. Traffic was attracted to Foord's punt, leading to the establishment of Corowa township, opposite to Wahgunyah.
The Institution of Engineers Australia, through its Heritage Committees, established the Australian Historic Engineering Plaquing Program to acknowledge past engineering achievements and to draw public attention to the significant contributions they have made to society.The Plaquing Program is a means of bringing public recognition to significant historic engineering works and the engineers who created them. The Program is intended to contribute to the conservation of Australian engineering heritage.
Location
| Address: | Bridge Road, John Foord Bridge, Murray River, Corowa, 2646 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -36.006392 Long: 146.39541 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Structure |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
Dedication
Plaque :
John Foord Bridge
John Foord founder of Wahgunyah, 1856
North Wahgunyah now Cowra, 1859
Born Brighton, England, 1819
Died 1883
Pioneer
Sydney, 1827
Wahgunyah, 1839 - 1883
Plaque :
National Engineering Landmark
The Institution of Engineers, Australia
John Foord Bridge
Corowa
This is a fine example of an iron lace bridge, a class of structure that dominated major bridge works in New South Wales towards the end of the nineteenth century. The shallow depth of the truss was achieved by continuity of the structure across the piers. It replaced an 1862 timber bridge constructed by a company involving John Foord, a prominent local pioneer businessman. The bridge was designed by John A McDonald, Engineer for Bridges, Department of Public Works, and was built jointly by Downey & Co., and the Department. When opened in January 1893, traffic was still impeded by customs delays, resulting in strong and persistent advocacy of federation from the locals. The bridge was a feature of the Federation Conference in Corowa in July 1893.
Dedicated by the Institution of Engineers, Australia and the Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW
2001 - The Centenary of Federation
