"RumblyBumbly" Bridge

Pearces Creek Bridge, Galston Gorge

 

A timber truss road bridge (65ft/19.96m truss span) designed by John McDonald and built by NSW Public Works in 1893-1894.

 

Relatively cheap to build using mostly local materials, timber truss bridges were preferred by the Public Works Department from the mid 19th to the early 20th century. Timber truss bridges, and timber bridges generally were so common that NSW was known to travellers as the "timber bridge state".

 

Tenders for Carters/Tunks/Pearces Creek Bridge together with the nearby Berowra Creek Bridge (another McDonald truss of 90ft) on the Hornsby-Galston Road were called for on 5 August 1892. The contract was won by Francis Boland whose tender of just over 2651 pounds was the lowest of thirteen received.

 

The bridge is a relic of the NSW government's policies of the late nineteenth century which focussed on the provision of access to land areas to facilitate increased production and trade throughout the state, as well as part of a depression relief scheme to provide work for the poor during the depression of the early 1890s.

 

It is also important as part of a road that was an important link between the Great North Road and the Pacific Highway which expediated the movement of goods and provided flexibility in road movements that ultimately helped to service Sydney.

 

Assessed as having State significance, although it has been rated as being of National significance. The bridge has been kept in good condition and recently underwent major repairs between November 2001 and February 2002.

 

The bridge retains its original style diagonal timber deck planking without the addition of an extra layer of longitudinal planking and is believed to be only timber truss road bridge in NSW to survive with its original style deck still in use.

 

At March 1998 there were seven McDonald truss road bridges remaining in NSW.

 

Apparently known as "RumblyBumbly Bridge" by school children in the late '70s.

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Uploaded on December 12, 2005
Taken on December 12, 2005