brisbaneriver

Brisbane's Story Bridge opened for operation on July 6, 1940. This date came five years after construction commenced and fourteen years after initial recommendations for a river crossing at Kangaroo Point. Essentially, the Story Bridge was one of the then governments' three major public works projects, creating years of employment for many men during the Great Depression. The Story Bridge is the largest steel bridge designed, fabricated, and constructed in Australia by Australians. Currently, the bridge is repainted every seven years using 17500 liters of paint. There are approximately 105000 square meters of painted steel surfaces. The Story Bridge Adventure Climb is one of only three bridge climbs in the world. Climbing over the steel structure gives you an incredible bird's eye view over Brisbane City, Kangaroo Point, and far beyond to the distant mountain ranges and up the Brisbane River. Beneath the bridge on the Central Business District, side is Howard Smith Wharves, a historic shipyard-turned-precinct. The old warehouses have been turned into a craft beer hall and conference spaces, and there are new build bars, cafes, and restaurants along with open parkland. Source: www.queensland.com/sg/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-56b26...

The Hamilton Reach is popular for water sports. It is popular for recreational and competitive sailing. Historically, the Brisbane River had many commercial wharves used for the shipping of goods and passengers. However, with the growth in the size of ships, the increasing residential characters of the suburbs alongside the river, and the need to construct bridges over the river, most commercial shipping is now handled at the Port of Brisbane at the mouth of the Brisbane River and beyond into Moreton Bay through land reclamation. Former commercial wharves and associated on-shore industrial facilities along the Brisbane River are frequently redeveloped into residential and leisure facilities. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Reach

The Victoria Bridge, the Brisbane River’s first road crossing has had a long and interesting history. Since 1865 there have been several versions of the bridge built to connect Brisbane's CBD to South Brisbane. This post will briefly examine the history of each one of those bridges. To help connect the rapidly growing city with the southern suburbs the Brisbane City Council decided in 1861 to announce they intended to build a bridge connecting Queen Street with Melbourne Street. The council held a contest for the design of the bridge and chose to construct a large iron lattice-girder bridge by designers Messrs Robinson and I'Anson. Sir George Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland, laid the foundation stone on 22 August 1864. With a limited budget, the council couldn't afford the cost of the steel required to build Robinson and I'Anson's design and instead chose to build a temporary wooden bridge until funds were available to build the steel bridge. In June 1865, less than a year after the laying of the foundation stone, the bridge was completed and named the Brisbane Bridge. However, one issue the bridge's builders were unaware of was the destructive effect marine borers would have on the wooden piles. On 16 November 1867, the bridge collapsed, caused by a combination of a high tide placing pressure on the weakened wooden piles and a large coach crossing the bridge. In 1871, English company Peto, Brassey, and Co agreed to build a new bridge upgrading the previous wooden design to include concrete pylons, lacework parapet, and a footpath on each side for pedestrians. The bridge was completed in 1874, opened on 15 June by Governor George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby, and named 'Victoria Bridge' after Queen Victoria, the monarch at the time. On 5 February 1893, Brisbane recorded a significant rain event with 900mm falling within a day. At 4 am the following day, floodwaters carried a house, livestock, trees, and debris down the Brisbane river from North Quay crashing into the city end of the Victoria Bridge causing a section to collapse. The collapse of the bridge affected the economic development of South Brisbane, larger stores such as Allen & Stark moved their premises to the northside of the city and southern suburbs declined while newer suburbs like Ascot, Hamilton, and Clayfield prospered. Source: www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/history-brisbanes-victoria-bridge