Kangaroo Valley I Historic Hampden Suspension Bridge built 1898 over Kangaroo River, Shoalhaven NSW

Kangaroo Valley is a river valley along the Kangaroo River in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia, located west of the seaside in the City of Shoalhaven. It is also the name of the small suburb within it, formerly known as Osborne.

The valley has changed very little in the past 130 years with reminders such as the Hampden Bridge, completed in 1898, and the oldest suspension bridge in Australia, and old Barrengarry School serving as a testimony to the past when Kangaroo Valley was home to a flourishing dairy industry. Agriculture still exists, though other industries such as tourism have since taken over as the primary source of income.

Hampden Sandstone Bridge, Oldest suspension bridge in Australia:
Hampden Bridge is a heritage-listed single-span suspension bridge that carries Moss Vale Road (B73) across the Kangaroo River, in Kangaroo Valley, in the City of Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge was designed by Ernest de Burgh and built by Loveridge and Hudson.

Hampden Bridge was designed by Ernest Macartney de Burgh, the colony's Assistant Engineer for Bridges, to replace the decaying timber truss bridge which originally spanned the Kangaroo River. The bridge was opened on 19 May 1898, just six days before floods washed the old bridge away.

Construction was by Thomas Loveridge and Herbert Hudson and began in 1895. At the conclusion they formed a partnership, Loveridge and Hudson.

A public holiday was declared in Kangaroo Valley for the bridge opening. The bridge was opened by the Minister for Public Works, J. H. Young.

A well-known local tourist attraction, Hampden Bridge carries Moss Vale Road (B73) across the Kangaroo River in the picturesque Kangaroo Valley, 120 kilometres (75 mi) southwest of Sydney. The bridge is located in an undulating river valley terrain, with a sheer sandstone face on its northern side and sandy inclined riverbank on the southern side.

The river flows westward under the bridge.The bridge features four large Victorian Gothic Revival crenellated turrets made of locally quarried sandstone. This elaborate form, and the relatively sophisticated structural design of the span, reflect the importance of this river crossing at the time of construction.

The deck is stiffened by timber side trusses which are hinged at midspan. The bridge, with a clear main span of 77 metres (253 ft), a sag in the cables of 15 metres (49 ft), sandstone tower height of 16.8 metres (55 ft) and height above water also of 16.8 metres (55 ft), is an impressive structure in the local landscape and has been a landmark icon of the region for more than 100 years.

Hampden Bridge is the only surviving suspension bridge from the colonial period in New South Wales; and is the oldest and only timber suspension bridge still carrying vehicular traffic still in operation within Australia.

Photos
Hampden Bridge (early 1900's)
Commercial Hotel (built 1891) later renamed Friendly Inn (1897)
Friendly Inn and main street (1920)
Bridge with early traffic (2.34) (late 1800's)
After Construction of Hampden Bridge (2.46)


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More videos www.adventurebeatz.com
Historical Australia
Kangaroo Valley
Hampden Bridge
Rarely Seen Vintage Historical Photos
Bygone era Australia
Dairy Australia
Time Travel
Delivering Milk
Hampden Sandstone Bridge
Horse and Buggy
Horse Drawn Milk Cart
Australia Transport
Aussie Life
Transporting Milk
Life In Australia Late 1800s to early to mid 1900s
Life In Australia
Life as It Used To Be
Old Australia
Old Transport Australia


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