Sunday History Photo / A.C.T
Submitted: Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 07:49
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Member - Doug T (NT)
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Tharwa
bridge was the first
bridge across the
Murrumbidgee River and is the oldest
bridge still standing in the Australian Capital Territory, and the oldest of its type in Australia.
For its opening a public holiday was declared in the region, a parade was held in Tharwa and 1500 people watched Mrs Elizabeth McKeahnie open the
bridge. The
bridge is significant in its contribution to the landscape and its relationship with the river, the village of Tharwa and the hills beyond. The deck level of the
bridge was based on the highest recorded flood level prior to building the
bridge. A flood has not overtopped the
bridge since construction. There is a mark on the concrete pier on the Western side of the river showing the flood level in 1991.
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The Tharwa
Bridge and its site are historically and technically significant because of the Allan truss structure, having form and structural integrity which have survived virtually intact. It is the archetypal example of the application of the technology by Percy Allan to the construction of timber road bridges in New South Wales during a major development phase for
bridge and road construction during the last decade of the nineteenth century.
Tharwa
Bridge is highly valued by the local community as an integral part of the village of Tharwa. It continues to contribute in social, economic and aesthetic terms to the community. The
bridge and its site have associative significance with the period of nineteenth century
European settlement and development of the region.
The
bridge was entered in the ACT
Heritage Register in 1998, is listed by the National Trust of Australia (ACT) and was entered on the Register of the National Estate by the Australian
Heritage Commission in 1983.
The
bridge has also been identified by Engineers Australia as a Major Engineering
Heritage item and is one of the most significant pieces of
heritage in the Australian Capital Territory.
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