The MacDonnell & Paradise Bridges

Lower North East Road, Paradise

The MacDonnell Bridge spanning the Torrens River at Paradise was opened on Thursday 13^th August 1857 by the 6th Governor of South Australia, Sir Richard MacDonnell (1855 - 1862).  His wife, Lady MacDonnell, was to have performed the christening ceremony but was prevented from attending because of threatening rough weather.

The newspapers of the day reported extensively on the opening and were full of praise for the new bridge.

“We have so lately described the new bridge over the Torrens at Paradise Ford that we need not again dwell on its architectural beauties; suffice it to say that the completion of the structure and its approaches has made the whole an even greater ornament than we anticipated to the river and the suburbs of Adelaide.”

In Governor MacDonnell’s opinion, “It seemed one of the handsomest structures, and certainly the most picturesque as well as the handsomest bridge in South Australia.”¹ Although the Governor had consented to his name being used for the bridge, it appears that Paradise Bridge was more commonly used in later years.

The residents of the Campbelltown and Highercombe District Council areas would have been pleased.  Money had been allocated and materials delivered in 1851 and the line of road had been surveyed (not without some dispute,)but no bridge eventuated.  In 1853, 350 people signed a petition to the Governor who made more money available but it seems that another public meeting called in March 1856 finally spurred the Central Road Board into action and the bridge was at last completed.^2,3

The bridge was a three-span structure with stone piers and abutments supporting twelve laminated timber arch beams.  Each span covered 60 feet.  A timber deck ran the full 180 feet span.  The use of laminated timber arches was widely used in the colony at the time as it was just too expensive to import iron bridges.⁴ Much of the timber came from the Boord property called Freshford at Athelstone.⁵ The bridge had cost £7,355.⁶ Shortly after its opening the bridge survived a flash flood which reached deck level.

Unfortunately by the 1870’s there were concerns about the state of the bridge and its safety for users.  The Adelaide Observer in 1879 reported,“That the timber of Paradise Bridge over the Torrens is so eaten up with dry rot it has been necessary to close it to all heavy traffic.The present state of the bridge with the proposed means of putting it in thorough repair will be reported as soon as possible.”⁷

Again there were requests for the bridge to be replaced.  In 1879 the Surveyor submitted a sketch of the Paradise Bridge with wrought iron arched ribs instead of timber and with the floor to be 5 feet lower. The cost was approximately £2,500.⁸

Work seems to have started in August 1882 but there were delays in completing the work as evident from this letter to the Editor of the South Australian Advertiser on Friday 5^th January 1883.⁹

“Sir— Vehicular traffic by the bridge across the Torrens at Paradise has been stopped since August 3, and at the present rate of progression we may expect it to be resumed in perhaps two months. Kumar says the contract time for the completion of the bridge proper was three months, so, liberally- allowing a month longer to lay the metal and finish the approaches, it ought to have been open to all traffic early last December. …………

I am, &c.

GEO. WM. HIBBERT.”

The replacement bridge was a cast iron two-span bow-string girder structure. As well as two lanes for traffic it had a footbridge on either side.

It served the community well and had to be replaced in 1956 when a10 metre section of the bridge collapsed as two trucks were crossing.  A loaded truck made it across safely but an empty truck crashed 6 metres into the river bed.  Fortunately the driver was uninjured.

A Bailey’s Bridge was used whilst a new bridge was constructed using concrete abutments and piers and steel spans.  This was ready for use in 1957. It was duplicated in 1979 to meet the increased traffic resulting from the number of people taking up residence in the expanding north-eastern suburbs.¹⁰

The current eastern side bridge was opened for use in 1979.

Researched and compiled by Geoff Burton, a volunteer with the Campbelltown Library “Digital Diggers” group.

If you have any comments or questions regarding the information in this local history article, please contact the Local History officer on 8366 9357 or hthiselton@campbelltown.sa.gov.au.

References

1. 1857 'OPENING OF THE MACDONNELL BRIDGE.', South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), 14 August, p. 3, viewed 28 August, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49213383
2. 1853 '[No heading].', South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), 10 October, p. 3, viewed 28 August, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4149316
3. 1856 '[No heading].', South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), 11 March, p. 3, viewed 28 August, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4143702
4. Campbelltown Library Local History Room.  Folder titled Rivers, Bridges, Fords.
5. 1896 'DEATH OF MR. A. F. BOORD.', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), 18 January, p. 6, viewed 28 August, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article34534883
6. 1857 'CENTRAL ROAD BOARD RETURNS.', Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904), 22 August, p. 6, viewed 28 August, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158114058
7. 1879 'LOCAL BOARDS OF MAIN ROADS.', Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904), 22 February, p. 4, viewed 28 August, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article160118388
8. 1879 'LOCAL BOARD OF MAIN ROADS.', South Australian Chronicle and Weekly Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1868 - 1881), 27 December, p. 21, viewed 28 August, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94749034
9. 1883 'THE PARADISE BRIDGE.', The South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1889), 5 January, p. 5, viewed 28 August, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article33754212
10. Campbelltown Library Local History Room.  Folder titled Rivers, Bridges, Fords.