Hampden Bridge (Kangaroo Valley)

Hampden Bridge
Hampden Bridge 2008
Coordinates	34°43′40″S 150°31′16″E / 34.72778°S 150.52111°E / -34.72778; 150.52111Coordinates: 34°43′40″S 150°31′16″E / 34.72778°S 150.52111°E / -34.72778; 150.52111
Carries	Moss Vale Road (B73)
Crosses	Kangaroo River
Locale	Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, Australia
Characteristics
Design	Suspension bridge
Total length	77 m (252.6 ft)
Width	1 Lane
History
Constructed by	Loveridge and Hudson
Construction begin	1895
Opened	19 May 1898

Hampden Bridge in Kangaroo Valley

Hampden Bridge is a suspension bridge across the Kangaroo River, located in the town of Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, Australia. It is named after Lord Hampden, Governors of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899.

It is one of few suspension bridges in Australia.

History

Hampden Bridge was designed by Ernest Macartney de Burgh, the colony's Assistant Engineer for Bridges, to replace the decaying timber truss bridge which originally spanned the Kangaroo River. The bridge was opened on the 19 May 1898, just six days before floods washed the old bridge away.^[1] Construction was by Thomas Loveridge and Herbert Hudson and began in 1895. At the conclusion they formed a partnership, Loveridge and Hudson.

A public holiday was declared in Kangaroo Valley for the bridge opening. The bridge was opened by the Minister for Public Works, J.H. Young.^[2]

Description

A well-known local tourist attraction, Hampden Bridge features four large crenellated turrets made of locally quarried sandstone. It is 77 metres (253 ft) and one lane wide. The bridge forms part of the Moss Vale Road. Hampden Bridge is the only surviving suspension bridge from the colonial period in New South Wales;^[3] and is the oldest and only timber suspension bridge still carrying vehicular traffic still in operation within Australia.

The bridge's medieval tower style is an example of the Gothic Revival architecture popular in late nineteenth-century Australia.^[4] This elaborate form, and the relatively sophisticated structural design of the span, reflect the importance of this river crossing at the time of construction: the Cambewarra Road (now the Moss Vale Road) was then a major route from Sydney to the south coast of NSW.^[5]

In 2012 the bridge underwent a major A$3 million renovation by Roads and Maritime Services, after many years of lobbying by local resident Bruce Ramsay, who agitated for the preservation of this iconic structure.

References