The Maryborough Sun, Thursday 10th March 2022
9
Our Lamington Bridge
Construction of the bridge in 1896 (main) and (insets from left) the Lamington Bridge today, a vintage postcard featuring the bridge and Alfred Barton Brady. (Archives)
by FRASER COAST MAYOR GEORGE SEYMOUR MARYBOROUGH is located where it is because it was created as a port. The trade coming up the Mary River and then back out was important for the young colony. As modes of transportation have changed, the river has featured less and less in the economic, planning and social life of the city. We do however become very aware of it during times of flood. This year we have had two major floods. Throughout the history of Maryborough, the Mary River has shaped and guided its development, for good and bad. It brought trade to the port, communication with the world and, sometimes, disaster.
The record flood of 1893 had particularly profound effects on Maryborough. The 1893 flood was over three metres higher than either of this year’s floods. One major, and lasting, outcome of this flood was the destruction of the Maryborough Bridge, at the site of the current Lamington Bridge, a highset timber structure which had just barely survived the flood of 1890. The risk to bridges in floods is that material collects against them and the pressure builds up. The Maryborough Council did attempt to save the bridge. On Saturday 1 February 1893, as the river was rising, a gang of 15 men was gathered, and stationed along the bridge armed with long poles
ready to push down the logs and debris under the decking of the bridge as the river brought it downstream. This work would extend the life of the bridge into the afternoon. Inevitably, the bridge collapsed at 7:30pm, at which stage there was still five men working on it. All made it safely to the river bank except for George Hogan who was swept away in the raging water across the Pocket. Incredibly, he was able to cling to a tree until the morning and then swim ashore to Granville. Having been destroyed beyond repair, the city had now lost its connection to the south. More significantly, the bridge had also carried the water pipe from
Teddington, meaning the water supply had been lost.
and to present the least possible obstruction to the flow of flood waters.
The loss of the essential bridge was a disaster and immediate action was required.
This meant a lower level bridge, that went under in a flood earlier.
Alfred Barton Brady was called upon to design a replacement bridge. Most of the public wanted him to simply replicate the bridge that had been lost. However, the bridge he came up with was innovative in both design and materials – making it quite controversial. Brady recognised that what had typically destroyed bridges was the accumulation of debris against the structure during floods and this, in combination with the force exerted by the water, caused structural failure. Brady developed designs to avoid trapping debris
This would mean that the bridge was under water at the height of the flood thus allowing debris to float over without harming the structure. Thus in 2022 the Lamington Bridge is closed off fairly early in a flood. The design and the fact that it was to be a toll bridge were not the only aspects to the new bridge that created controversy. Unbeknownst to the community, the bridge board had changed the name of the soon-to-be opened bridge from the Maryborough Bridge to the Lamington Bridge, after the State’s Governor, Lord Lamington.
Most people only became aware of this name change when the official opening ceremony banquet invitations were sent out. Negative reaction was swift and public meetings were called, with one at Town Hall having up to 200 indignant people present to protest the change of name. The Bridge Board however stuck with the name and it didn’t take long for residents to accept it. The traffic crossing the heritage listed Lamington Bridge has steadily grown over the decades, changing from a mixture of pedestrian, bicycle and horse movements to primarily motor vehicles. Brady’s low-level design has seen many floods such as this year’s; the water has risen and fallen and his innovative bridge still stands.
We support Australian-made products Adina family has been producing watches in Brisbane since 1971
1/384 Kent Street, Maryborough Phone 4123 4032 www.myattjewellers.com.au
