Red Bridge - Engineering Heritage National Marker Campbell Town, Tasmania, Australia
By Team MavEtJu on 13-Jan-18. Waypoint GA11659

Red Bridge - Engineering Heritage National Marker

Red Bridge is an historic three span brick arch structure, completed in 1838 and in continuous use since then. It carries the Midland Highway over the Elizabeth River in Campbelltown, Tasmania. This highway forms the direct road link between Hobart and Northern Tasmania, and is part of the National Highway network. Whilst nearly all other towns have now been bypassed, the highway still runs down the main street of Campbell Town. In 2000 the arches were internally strengthened to carry contemporary heavy truck loading.

The construction of Red Bridge resulted from Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur’s emphasis on road and bridge construction in the colony of Van Diemen’s Land. This bridge replaced an earlier flood-prone earth and log causeway located some 200m downstream. The river was realigned into a narrower channel near the bridge, and the integral river training walls on both upstream and downstream sides are a feature of the bridge.

The project was the responsibility of Captain Alexander Cheyne, Director-General of Roads and Bridges, whose name is remembered on the bridge. There are no extant original drawings, but the designer of Red Bridge is believed to be renowned convict architect and engineer James Blackburn. The design shows great attention to aesthetic and architectural details. The construction supervisor on site was Captain Frederick Forth (who later succeeded Cheyne as Director-General of Roads and Bridges). The work was carried out by convict work gangs, chosen, where possible, to include the more willing and skilled workers. The work included the manufacture of the bricks on site.

When logging this virtual, please add a photo of you and/or your GPSr with the plaque!

For more information, please see the website https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/heritage/red-bridge.