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Murray River crossings

The Murray River in south-eastern Australia has been a significant barrier to land-based travel and trade. This article lists and briefly describes all of the recognised crossing points. Many of these had also developed as river ports for transport of goods along the Murray. Now almost every significant town along the river has a bridge or vehicle-carrying cable ferry nearby.

The crossings are listed in order starting from the Murray Mouth and proceeding upstream.

South Australia

Due to the wide crossing and high clearance required to allow river boats to pass even during floods, and relatively low traffic requirements in South Australia, there are very few bridges across the Murray River in South Australia. Most crossings are cable ferries operated (without tolls) by the South Australian Department of Transport. These ferries are known locally as punts, presumably as the original ferries were punts before the cable ferries replaced them to provide for heavier loads and greater safety. The bridges are also toll-free.

• There are access roads for maintenance etc. across the barrages between islands near the Murray mouth. These are not accessible to the public, but are used by the landholders on Mundoo and Ewe Islands.
• Goolwa to Hindmarsh Island bridge - The controversial bridge replaced a ferry in March 2001.
• There is a ferry across the channel between Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert near Narrung
• Wellington - Ferry
• Tailem Bend/Jervois - ferry
• Swanport Bridge on the Princes Highway at the end of the South Eastern Freeway - 1979
• Murray Bridge rail (1927) and road 1879 bridges
• Mannum two parallel ferries
• Purnong ferry - this is the narrowest crossing in South Australia
• Walker Flat ferry
• Swan Reach ferry
• Blanchetown bridge
  • The original bridge was constructed in 1963 on the Sturt Highway. Prior to that, there had been a ferry crossing since 1869. It was the first major prestressed concrete highway bridge in South Australia. In the 1990s it was found to not be structurally sound enough to safely carry B-double trucks. Until a new bridge could be built, these were diverted from near Monash via Morgan and Eudunda to rejoin the highway at Gawler, thus travelling further but avoiding the Kingston and Blanchetown bridges.
  • The replacement bridge was completed in November 1998
• Morgan ferry
• Cadell ferry
• Waikerie ferry
• Kingston on Murray a bridge replaced a ferry (early 1970s?)
• Berri a bridge replaced two ferries - 1997
• Lyrup ferry
• Paringa/Renmark liftspan bridge (1926) - one lane of traffic each way with pedestrian/bike path in the middle on a former railway alignment.

As the ferries are registered as boats, each one has a name, usually named after a waterbird. As of April 2005, some of the ferry names are:

• Wellington: Quail
• Mannum large (downstream): Swan
• Mannum (small, upstream): Pelican
• Purnong: Plover
• Swan Reach: Coot
• Morgan: Water Hen
• Cadell: Avocet
• Waikerie: Heron
• Lyrup: Ibis

In Victoria and New South Wales

The river forms the border between these two states and former colonies, so in many cases there is a town on each side of the river. If two towns are named in this list, the Victorian one is first for clarity and consistency.

Most of the bridges downstream of Echuca are liftspan bridges to enable paddlesteamer traffic to pass underneath even in times of high water flow.

The Hume, Newell and Sturt Highway bridges are owned and managed by the Federal Government. The others are the responsibility of New South Wales and Victoria.

• Yelta/Curlwaa Abbotsford Bridge 1928 235 metres (771 ft) long, single lane lift bridge
• Mildura/Buronga George Chaffey Bridge - high arched bridge carrying the Sturt Highway, 331 metres (1,086 ft) long, 9.8 metres (32.2 ft) wide, built 1985
• Robinvale/Euston liftspan bridge, being replaced. The new bridge is expected to be completed by mid 2006
• Piangil/Tooleybuc timber and steel truss, 1925, Mallee Highway, single lane restriction on lift span
• Nyah/Koraleigh bridge 104 metres (341.2 ft), central lift span
• Speewa ferry 2-car capacity, 8 tonne (8.8 t) load limit
• Swan Hill bridge - 2 lanes except central lift span; 116 metres (380.6 ft)
• Murrabit/Gonn Crossing bridge 103 metres (338 ft), 1926
• Koondrook/Barham liftspan bridge, 99 metres (325 ft), 1904
• Echuca/Moama bridges
  • road - built as joint road/rail bridge in 1879, proposed for replacement/bypass soon
  • rail
• Barmah bridge 1966, 168 metres (551.2 ft) replaced ferry
• Tocumwal - Newell Highway 212 metres (695.5 ft) long, 12 metres (39.4 ft) wide, built 1987
• Cobram/Barooga -
  • Old liftspan bridge, 1904 (no longer trafficable)
  • New bridge opened 2006
• Yarrawonga/Mulwala
  • Stock crossing over Yarrawonga Weir
  • bridge over Lake Mulwala, 1924, 488 metres (1,601 ft)
• Wahgunyah/Corowa
  • The existing John Foord Bridge will be retained for local traffic
  • The Federation Bridge was opened on 2 April 2005. It is two lanes wide and 195 metres (639.8 ft) long, with a 95 metres (311.7 ft) approach bridge on the NSW side. [2]
• Howlong, opened 2001
• Wodonga/Albury
  • Hume Highway - Lincoln Causeway/Union Bridge - 4 lanes, 92 metres (301.8 ft) long, constructed 1961, widened 1990
  • railway
  • Bonegilla Bridge 1941 single lane, 91 metres (298.6 ft)
  • Bethanga Bridge on the Riverina Highway across Lake Hume, near the town of Bellbridge
• Heywoods Bridge just below the Hume Dam, over the Murray River. Constructed in 1984, 124 metres (406.8 ft) long.
• Wymah ferry at upstream end of Lake Hume, 2-car capacity, 11 tonne (12.1 t) load limit
• Jingellic, 156 metres (511.8 ft), 1959
• Tintaldra, steel truss bridge 1959, 185 metres (607 ft)
• Towong 1938, 61 metres (200.1 ft) long
• Bringenbrong Bridge near Corryong, 1961, 87 metres (285.4 ft) long And two small bridges in the mountains
• Indi Bridge 1961
• Biggara Bridge 1951

See also

• List of Australian ferries

Contents

• South Australia
• In Victoria and New South Wales
• See also