The bridge where east meets west

MAY 2018 | Wendy Laing

IN THE early 1800’s the only way to get to Deloraine from Launceston was either finding places to ford, or over a huge log which spanned the Meander river, near where today’s bridge now stands.

The first wooden bridge was built by convicts in 1831. It was destroyed by a flood in 1844, which caused considerable inconvenience to the early settlers.

A second wooden bridge, also built by convicts, was erected a year later and remained in place for thirty years, proving to be a strong structure, capable of surviving the roaring waters of the Meander River floods.

In August 1873 a public meeting was held in Cox’s Assembly Rooms in Deloraine to consider erecting a new bridge across the Meander River. A report said that it was necessary it be erected very quickly, as the old bridge was becoming unsafe, and not worth repairing.

A petition was sent to His Excellency the Governor stating that the present bridge across the Meander River at Deloraine was in a decayed and dangerous state, and it was necessary to erect a new bridge as soon as possible.

The Petition worked, and a grand ceremony was held when the bridge was formally opened on the 24th May 1877.

The Launceston Examiner of Saturday, 2nd June 1877 reported that a crowd of over 3,000 people attended the event.

The Chairman of Promoters, Mr R. H. Munce climbed onto the bridge, and in a few happily chosen remarks declared the bridge open for traffic, naming it the Queen’s Bridge in honour of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, whose birthday it was that day. There was loud cheering as everyone paraded across the bridge and back again.

In March 1906 an article in Launceston’s The Daily Telegraph reported that the Queen’s Bridge wooden decking had to be repaired as it was in a very dangerous state and responsible for many falls, especially from those on horseback.

A tender from Messrs Finlayson Bros was accepted by the Public Works Department for the upgrading and the contract included steel girders and a concrete super structure.

Three years later, in September 1909 a reporter for The Mercury wrote that the Deloraine bridge was nearly finished, and was a fine structure, and a great improvement to the town.

By the middle of October 1910, it was finally completed. Brand new except for the stone piers retained from the 1877 bridge. These are still standing today.

In 1933, six memorial lamps were erected on each corner of the bridge by families of prominent citizens who have died. They commemorate Dr P. Cole, Messrs R. P. Furmage, John Field, and F. J. Bowman. The two centre lamps are in memory of Mr Norman Cameron.

The last major upgrade was in the mid-1900’s when the bridge was widened to include a walkway on each side so that pedestrians could cross the bridge in safety.

Photo | Mike Moores