The communities of Koondrook and Barham had been agitating for a bridge across the Murray River between the two towns from as early as 1892 when the local member, James McColl, raised the issue in the Victorian Parliament (1). There was a punt which serviced the towns, but it was inadequate. Over a year later, October 1893, the Koondrook Progress Association drew up a petition to the Minister of Public Works, praying for the erection of a bridge over the Murray at Koondrook (2).
The issue moved slowly with more enthusiasm for the bridge from Victoria than from New South Wales but as the Murray River 'belongs' to New South Wales they were responsible for bridge construction. In March 1898, the Victorian Minister for Public Works was to present a proposal for the bridge to the Cabinet, with the cost of the bridge estimated at £7000, to be divided equally between New South Wales and Victoria (3). However, at the same time Robert Hickson, the New South Wales Under Secretary for Public Works and Commissioner for Roads presented a report which dismissed the need for a bridge essentially because the main portion of the traffic is served by river while that using the crossing is almost entirely local, it does not seem to me that there would be any justification for the erection of a bridge at this place, the cost of which may be estimated approximately at £8,000 to £9000, exclusive of the approaches on the Victorian side of the river. Hickson described the two towns as Barham, which consists of besides the residences of three officials stationed there, less than half a dozen houses, and Koondrook, which is the Victorian town, of somewhat greater pretensions (4).
In response to Hickson's report a joint meetings of the Barham Progress Association and the Koondrook Bridge League was held. They considered the report to be inaccurate in parts. They argued that if there was a decent bridge over the Murray then traffic would increase as wool from Moulamein and the stations north of Barham would all be sent to Melbourne by road to Barham and hence by rail from Koondrook, but currently the punt owners refuse to cross any loads exceeding 6 tons in weight except at owners' risk (5).
The Koondrook-Barham Bridge, c. 1909.
Barham Bridge. State Library of Victoria Image H90.140/1040
There was more agitation over the next few years and in June 1900 real progress was made when Victoria and New South Wales each sent an engineer to the towns to make an inspection and take evidence in connection with the construction of the proposed Koondrook-Barham bridge (6). Carlo Catani was sent from the Victorian Public Works Department and Ernest Macartney de Burgh, the Assistant Engineer for Bridges, from the New South Wales Department of Public Works. Carlo had previously worked with Ernest de Burgh on the Union Bridge at Albury, read about this here. The Kerang Times reported on this momentous event -
The public here at once recognised that the sister Government [N.S.W.] meant business. Mr De Burgh is the most eminent authority on bridge building in New South Wales. Of the ten bridges across the Murray he has built eight, and is thoroughly familiar with the river from Forest Hill to the South Australian border. During the past twelve years he has never superintended the construction of less than 50 bridges per year, and in some years the number was over 100. Mr Catani's reputation as an engineer is well-known in these parts. It was not surprising then that the hope which springs eternal in the human breast should rise in full tide at the advent of these distinguished officers (7).
The requirement for the bridge was all the more urgent because on June 5, 1900, two weeks before the arrival of the Engineers, the punt that serviced the towns sunk, as The Age reported -
The necessity of a permanent bridge across the Murray, between Barham and Koondrook, the site of which was inspected by the Minister of Public Works on a recent visit, was forcibly illustrated yesterday, when a punt, together with a valuable traction engine sank in 40 feet of water. The engine, the property of Messrs. Hackett and Wells, was being conveyed across the river from Barham, New South Wales, for log hauling at Arbuthnot's saw mills, Koondrook. Upon reaching deep water the punt, in consequence of the engine not being placed in the centre, tilted, and the engine canted over and disappeared in the river, while the punt also sprang a leak and sank. One end of the punt is visible. It is assumed that its back is broken. Fortunately, the men in charge escaped. The punt owner obtained an indemnity from the proprietors of the engine prior to attempting to cross. The obstruction is likely to endanger the river traffic. In consequence of the accident a large consignment of sheep from Riverina for the Melbourne market, intended for transmission via Koondrook, was diverted to Swan Hill. This means a serious loss to the local tramway, and there will be further instances until traffic is restored (8).
Carlo and Mr de Burgh arrived in Kerang by train on Tuesday June 19, 1900. That night they took evidence at Kerang regarding the need for the bridge. On the Wednesday, they took the train (9) to Koondrook and inspected the proposed sites of the bridge, from both sides of the river and then took evidence at Koondrook.
What sort of evidence was presented in support of the bridge?
The punt was unreliable - Mr Andrew O'Keefe, pastoralist and owner of Barham Station, said if there were a bridge at Barham he would entrain all his wool at Koondrook and other adjoining pastoralists would do so too. He had had five breakdowns on the punt with wool. There was no man with a valuable team who would risk the punt (10).
A bridge would open up settlement - From Mr. J. W. Chanter, stock inspector at Barham - About 160,000 acres of Crown land in the area mentioned would be made available for selection within the next three years, the lessee falling in. He considered all this would be eagerly applied for. Recently about 16,000 acres had been thrown open south of Moulamein and there was an average of 58 applicants for each block. He considered the demand would increase and the land become more valuable if a bridge were constructed. He anticipated a much closer settlement with in the next two years. The land was equal to and, in his opinion, superior to that on the Victorian side. The population of the area he referred to was about 2000. Three townships would be served by the bridge, Barham, Moulamein and Maude, in all of which there were town lots to be sold (11).
Stock Routes - Cr O'Donnell - The port of Barham had superior claims for the construction of a bridge than either Echuca or Swan hill. Drovers who came direct from Queensland and New South Wales said that the Moulamein-Koondrook stock route was the best watered, and best grassed, and 100 miles shorter (12).
Lack of a bridge impeded agricultural activities - R. J. Eagle, farmer and grazier, and secretary of the Barham Progress Association - Two seasons running he had carted his wheat to Barham a distance of 13 miles, and could not get a boat to take it away. It cost him 9d per bag for cartage 13 miles, and 6d per bag to take it across the punt to the tram. Carters would not trust their teams on the punt. If there were a bridge all the wheat to Sydney or Melbourne would go that way. If a bridge were built large areas would be put under wheat and another important industry, dairying, would flourish as the
land was suitable for it (13).
The Koondrook-Barham Bridge.
Murray River & Bridge, Koondrook. Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co.
State Library of Victoria Image H32492/7863
Statistics were presented at the sessions at Kerang and Koondrook by the Customs Officers at Barham and Koondrook. This was in the days before Federation when States had their own Customs Offices. The statistics tell us a number of things - firstly that the trade was mainly from New South Wales to Victoria i.e. that the main market for the Barham farmers was Melbourne, not Sydney. Which meant that the bridge was more important for the people of Barham than the people of Koondrook. Secondly, the importance of sheep and wool to the local economy. The huge number of sheep exported through Barham to Victoria is interesting - over 90,000 sheep per annum in 1898 and 1899.
Figures presented by Mr Chas. E. Johnson, acting Customs officer, Barham (14).
Imports
General Goods - 1897 £7455; 1898 £5008; 1899 £4795.
Cattle - 1897 (20) £202; 1898 (80) £330; 1899 (17) £117.
Horses - 1897 (58) £848; 1898 (47) £396; 1899 (91) £897.
Sheep - 1897 (4324) £1338; 1898 (3441) £1155; 1899 (8548) £2728.
Total Value - 1897 £9823; 1898 £6979; 1899 £8537.
Exports
General Goods - 1897 £3472; 1898 £2421; 1899 £4497.
Cattle - 1897 (60) £190; 1898 (276) £1274; 1899 (652) £3260.
Horses - 1897 (31) £182; 1898 (111) £756; 1899 (158) £1152.
Sheep - 1897 (10,620) £4574; 1898 (92,453) £2897; 1899 (93,977) £41,668.
Pigs - 1897 (20) £27
Total Value - 1897 £8445; 1898 £32,563; 1899 £50,577.
Figures presented by Mr J. P. Madigan, Victorian Customs officer, Koondrook (15).
Imports
Cattle - 1897 (61) £162; 1898 (316) £1416; 1899 (726) £3937.
Horses - 1897 (15) £68; 1898 (86) £703; 1899 (152) £1130.
Sheep - 1897 (10,502) £4192; 1898 (93,118) £33,434; 1899 (96,885) £41,531.
Pigs - 1897 (20) £26; 1898 (1) £1; 1899 (2) £8.
Other imports —
(principally wool) 1897 £3555; 1898 £3588; 1899 £7386.
Total Value - 1897 £8003; 1898 £39,141; 1899 £54,093.
When the proceedings finished the Kerang Times reported that a vote of thanks to the two Engineers was moved and -
Mr De Burg (sic) in responding said he would go carefully through the evidence and make a straightforward report to his Government. Mr Catani also responded and expressed pleasure at the straightforward way in which the evidence had been given. He thought his friend Mr De Burg by this time must be almost convinced that it was his duty to recommend his Government to return the compliment paid by the Victorian Government at Cobram and build the Barham bridge right away (16).
The bridge was approved and in December 1900 Mr de Burgh produced a sketch showing the design of the proposed bridge, with an estimate of cost, [which] has been forwarded to the Victorian Government for their convenience (17). After receiving this news from Mr de Burgh, Mr D. G. Rattray, the secretary of the Koondrook Bridge committee wrote to Mr Catani of the Public Works department, urging him to expedite the approval of design (18). However, Carlo had no control over the process and it wasn't until February 1902 that the specifications were completed and tenders could be called (19). In June 1902 it was reported that a tender from Monash and Anderson had been accepted (20). In July 1902 this letter was sent from the Premier of Victoria to the premier of New South Wales -
To the Hon. the Premier of New South Wales. Premier's office, Melbourne, 29th July, 1902. Sir, - In continuation of my letter No. 3422 of the 2nd inst., I have the honor to inform you that this Government concurs in the acceptance of the tender of Messrs Monash and Anderson for £9,473 14s 6d for the erection of a bridge over the Murray River at Barham and Koondrook and that it will meet progress payments as required from time to time. - I have, etc, W. H. Irvine, Premier. (21).
But by the September still nothing had happened and it appears that the New South Wales Government had not formally accepted the tender and thus in December 1902 the tender process was re-opened. Finally, at the end of January 1903 the tender was awarded again to Monash and Anderson this time for £10,345 17s 2d (22).
The firm of Monash and Anderson was formed in 1894 by John Monash and J.T. Noble Anderson (23). They were granted the Victorian rights to the Monier reinforced concrete construction system from Carter, Gummow & Co of Sydney and worked with them on the Anderson Street Bridge (also called the Morell Bridge). This bridge was completed in 1899 and was the first bridge in Victoria to use the Monier system. Monash and Anderson were responsible for many concrete bridges after this including the Fyansford bridge and the St Kilda Street bridge in Elwood (24).
As you can imagine, after waiting so long for a bridge, the day the first pile was driven into the river for the new bridge was a day of celebration in the area. It was Tuesday April 7, 1903 and the shire president (Mr. P. J. O'Donnell) drove the first pile of the Koondrook-Barham bridge across the Murray on Tuesday. A special train was run from Kerang, and a large number of leading citizens were present. Having started the pile driver from a barge in the centre of the river, Cr. O'Donnell returned to the shore where appropriate speeches were delivered and toasts honored (25).
The bridge under construction.
Kerang New Times, September 23, 1904 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/221079816
The bridge was not a concrete bridge it was of steel construction. The local paper, the Kerang New Times, had a very detailed report of the bridge provided by the engineer in charge, Mr. J. R. A. Reed, C.E. - here's an abridged version of their report, which you can read in full, here.
The river at the point where the bridge is being constructed has a width of 270 feet, with high ground on each side, which obviates the necessity of any lengthy approaches. The bridge consist of two plain timber spans (each 30 ft.) at the shore ends, followed by two 104 ft. composite (wood and steel) truss spans, and a central or lift span of 58 ft. 4 in. in the centre. The shore end trusses are each carried on a group of 12 ironbark piles, strongly braced and strutted, while the trusses of the 104 ft spans and the lift span are borne on four massive cylinders filled with and bedded on concrete, which again is supported by piles driven a distance of 25 ft. into the river bed. Rising from the four cylinders are as many towers of steel which carry the appliances for raising the central span to allow the passage of the river boats, the total height of the tower and cylinders being 46 ft. 6 in. The centre, or lift span, is raised by means of a hand winch which carries the power by means of a wire rope attachment to the centre span, the weight of which is counterbalanced by leaden weights enclosed in cast iron boxes...The method of elevating is thereby rendered so simple that the span ran be raised or lowered by one man with only ordinary exertion.
The decking of the bridge, which is placed 6 ft. above the highest known flood level consists with the exception of the short spans at the shore ends, which is decked with red gum, of tallow wood planking. ...The material for the iron and steel work was imported in the rough from Scotland and was built by Cowley, of the Eureka Iron Works, Ballarat, and is considered by experts who have examined it as being of first-class workmanship.
The bridge is an exact counterpart of the one recently erected at Cobram, also under the supervision of Mr Reid, and is a marked advance on the Swan Hill bridge, the truss spans of which are composed entirely of timber. The lift is also much lighter and more effective in design, and the mechanism less complicated (26).
Even though Koondrook did not get their bridge until seven years after Swan Hill, theirs was better! The Swan Hill bridge had opened in 1896.
The Koondrook-Barham bridge was formally opened on Saturday October 8, 1904 by the New South Wales Minister for Public Works, Mr Lee and his Victorian counterpart, Mr Cameron. Over 1,500 people attended the ceremony with a host of politicians and government officials, including Mr Davidson, the Inspector General of Public Works. Carlo was not listed amongst the guests, but I wonder if he was there? A special train was run from Kerang for the occasion. The officials and the town band boarded the steamer, Rothbury, at the wharf which then sailed down the river and when nearing the bridge, the central span was raised and the boat steamed through to the strains of the band and the hooraying of the bystanders (27).
The bridge with the centre span raised for the paddle steamer, Marion, c. 1950.
Paddle steamer 'Marion' on river at Barham. Victorian Railways photographer.
State Library of Victoria Image H91.50/1984
The Koondrook bridge, which is heritage listed, is still in operation. Between 2012 and 2018 the New South Wales Department of Transport carried out major restoration works, including mechanical repairs to the lift span (28).
Trove list - I have created a list of articles on the agitation for and construction of the Koondrook-Barham bridge, you can access it here.
Footnotes
(1) Kerang Times, July 29, 1892, see here.
(2) Kerang Times, October 31, 1893, see here.
(3) The Argus, March 9, 1898, see here.
(4) Kerang Times, March 22, 1898, see here.
(5) Kerang Times, March 25, 1898, see here.
(6) Kerang Times, June 19, 1900, see here.
(7) Kerang Times, June 22, 1900, p. 2 Barham bridge article, see here.
(8) The Age, June 7, 1900, see here.
(9) Train was sometimes referred to as a tram. There was a Victorian Railways line to Kerang and then from Kerang to Koondrook a tramway being a public one, owned by the Swan Hill Shire Council with money borrowed from Government, the gauge being the same as that of the Victorian railways, according to the Kerang Times of March 25 1898, see here.
(10) Kerang Times, June 22, 1900, p. 2 At the Murray article, see here.
(11) Ibid
(12) Kerang Times, June 22, 1900, p. 2 Barham bridge article, see here.
(13) Kerang Times, June 22, 1900, p. 2 At the Murray article, see here.
(14) Ibid
(15) Ibid
(16) Kerang Times, June 22, 1900, At the Murray article, p. 3 see here.
(17) Kerang Times, December 4, 1900, see here.
(18) Ibid
(19) Kerang New Times, February 28, 1902, see here.
(20) Sydney Evening News, June 17 1902, see here.
(21) Kerang New Times, September 19, 1902, see here.
(22) No action re tender - Kerang New Times, September 19, 1902, see here; Tender re-opened - Daily Telegraph, November 15, 1902,see here; Tender acceptance - Sydney Evening News, February 2, 1903, see here.
(23) Sir John Monash (1865-1931) - read his Australian Dictionary of Biograph entry, here. Joshua Thomas Noble Anderson (1865-1949) read his entry in the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, here.
(24) Vines, Gary National Trust Study of Victoria’s Concrete Road Bridges - National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Funded by VicRoads and Heritage Victoria (Biosis Research Pty. Ltd, 2008 revised 2010)
(25) The Age, April 9, 1903, see here.
(26) Kerang New Times, May 13, 1904, see here.
(27) Kerang New Times, October 11 1904, see here. There is another account of the opening in the Riverina Recorder of October 12, 1904, see here.
(28) Restoration works - https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/barham-bridge/ You can read the Engineers Australia report on the heritage significance of the bridge here https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/system/files/engineering-heritage-australia/nomination-title/Barham_Koondrook_Nomination.pdf
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