This bridge – John Foord Brodge, has many memories for me: when I was young, I would walk to high school from Wahgunyah to Corowa, back in those days the water was clear and you could see the bottom, now the carp and wake boats, amongst other things muddy the water. When I was first married, we lived a few km away from the bridge, I could hear my husband’s truck coming across the bridge rattling along and the clankity clank of the sleepers as the truck went over, this was a good 10-minute warning that he was on his way home.
My eldest daughter, in her younger days, would ride across the bridge on her horse, as did many of the teenage boys and girls of the time, traffic would wait, (traffic was two way back in those days) I would hate to think if they could do that these days.
My son and his friends preferred jumping from the bridge during warm summer days, they would walk along the top arch which was known as the ‘Cat Walk’, pick their spot and dive in, they were boys being boys but I didn’t encourage it, if they saw my car coming across the bridge they would hide amongst the lattice work and pretend they were not there, I of course knew they were. I can’t remember if the no jumping signs were up back in those days but it was very common for locals to jump from the bridge, there is strictly no climbing or jumping from the bridge these days, (it doesn't stop them) as it was back in those days when the river is low old pylons and shopping trollies litter the river bed.
Not to leave my youngest daughter out, some of you know her, she's ¼ of TeamThommo, she isn’t too keen on heights, back when she had her first after school job, I wasn’t always available to drive her to work, so she would need to walk from our farm in Wahgunyah to the vet clinic where she worked in Corowa, 7km in total, she wasn’t worried about the distance but she always worried about the bridge. Being in a small town, she always hoped to find a lift across before she needed to cross the bridge. On one particular day having not found a lift she needed to cross the bridge by herself on foot, she tells me she hung on tightly and just looked straight ahead, that was until she heard a kitten crying for help, she spotted a kitten in the middle of the bridge with traffic whizzing past, not hesitating, she climbed through the lattice work and quickly scooped up the kitten, stopping traffic both ways only to realise the kitten was in-fact feral as it firmly attached itself to her arm and wee’ed all over her!
On one of my Grandchildren’s fist visits, we were going over to Corowa to get some groceries, as we went over the bridge, he looked puzzled and asked where were the whales? He looked on both sides and couldn’t see them in the water. He was very concerned that ther wasn't any Whales in New South Wales! He’s 13 now and I’m pretty sure he and his sister still look for whales as they go across.
Your Task
Take a photo of
- yourself (no need to show your face) you can of course we like to see smiling faces OR
- something that represents your team OR
- something with your username written on (must be in the photo, not added later)
on the bridge walkway looking for Whales. Bonus points if you spot some, if you have any old photos of the bridge feel free to upload them too. You will need to walk across, either parking in Victoria near the old customs house or New South Whales (sic) down near the rowing club.
For anyone interested in the significance and history of the bridge there is some more information below.
The John Foord Bridge (1895) is a significant technical accomplishment as the last in a series of six metal lattice truss bridges designed by J A McDonald and placed in service over the Murray River between 1887 and 1895. These three-span bridges were characterised by the shallow depth of the main trusses, the rounded ends and the use of continuity. Of the five extant bridges in the series, the John Foord Bridge is the only example of a 42.7m central span design, and is of considerable age for a metal truss bridge (Criterion F1).
The John Foord Bridge, facilitated the competitive border region trade between the colonies of NSW and Victoria in the period leading up to federation in 1901. The bridge between Corowa-Wahgunyah was one of the busiest goods crossing points on the NSW-Victorian border, and the NSW and Victorian governments maintained their respective customs houses at either end of the bridge. Strong opposition to border customs duties by the local communities was a contributing factor in the success of the federation movement.
HISTORY
In 1856 John Foord had a private township laid out at Wahgunyah on the Victorian side of the Murray River. In the same year, the NSW government surveyor laid out a government town on the site of South Corowa. Foord purchased land in what is now central Corowa (then known as north Wahgunyah), and subsequently sold the blocks. In 1857 Foord installed a punt over the Murray River at the Corowa-Wahgunyah crossing, and subsequently built a private bridge with others in 1862 to meet demand for trade and access to the Beechworth, Chiltern and Rutherglen goldfields opened up in 1860. The trade between Victoria and NSW increased following the opening of the private toll bridge, and ensured Corowa-Wahgunyah became one of the Murray River's busiest crossing points for goods. Customs agreements between the two colonies came to an end in 1873, and thereafter the Victorian and NSW governments both collected duties at customs houses established near the bridge on either side of the river. The customs duties were deeply resented by residents of the border districts, and were one of the chief reasons for their strong and persistent advocacy of federation as a means of abolishing the customs duties.
The John Foord Bridge was completed in 1895, and was the last in a series of six existing metal lattice truss bridges designed by J A McDonald and constructed over the Murray River between 1887 and 1895. These bridges were characterised by the shallow depth of the main trusses, the rounded ends and the use of continuity. Five of the bridges in the series (and a sixth, at Taemas built in 1888 and later destroyed by flood), were continuous over the three spans; the only other bridge at Dalgety (1888) was continuous over two spans. The three-span bridges were of three sizes with central spans of 55.5m, 42.7m and 36.3m. This bridge was the only example constructed in the intermediate size.
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