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Perth's Bridges
The Narrows Bridge, Perth
 The Narrows Bridge was built as part of the Kwinana Freeway, Perth's first freeway road system, the first section of which was opened in 1959. In March 1952 BP Australia (then the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) reached an agreement with the WA State Government to build a 40 million pound oil refinery at Kwinana. The Government agreed to provide agreed to provide infrastructure including electricity, water, roads, railways, a safe channel to the sea and a thousand state houses at Kwinana - within three years. In October 1952 BHP agreed to construct a steel rolling mill near the refinery and thus the Kwinana industrial strip was born. The Kwinana Freeway was first mooted at that time as a fast road link between Perth and Kwinana. Commissioner Jim Young suggested that legislation should be passed to allow construction of 'controlled access roads' - the first to be constructed was to be the Kwinana Freeway.
The constriction of the first section, linking Perth city to the Canning Bridge at Applecross, was commenced in 1957 and completed two years later. The second section, extending the freeway to Canning Vale, was completed between the years 1978 and 1982. The final section, linking Kwinana and the Rockingham, was completed in 2003, 50 years after plans to build it had first been approved. The freeway incorporates two major bridges - the Narrows Bridge over the Swan River at South Perth, and the Mount Henry Bridge over the Canning River.
History of Western Australia's Highways
In 1833 a ferry service across the Swan was established at the Narrows, near the site of the present Kwinana Freeway bridge. The first bridge across the river was not built until 1843, however it was not at the Narrows, rather at Heirrison Island. The original five-span concrete bridge, designed by G Maunsell & partners and built by Cchristiani & Nielsen and J O Clough & son, was the critical element of the 1955 Stephenson-Hepburn plan which re-shaped the development of Perth. Opened in 1959, it was the first bridge in Australia to use segmental construction, Gambia piles and a lighter web construction using pre-stressing cables. At the time of its construction, the 97.5 metre central span was the largest of its type in Australia and is still one of the longest in the world. An increase in motor vehicle traffic over the bridge led to a duplicate being erected alongside the original in 2002. Two dedicated bus lanes were included at that time; these lanes have since been converted for use by a double track train service that links Perth and Mandurah.
 Mt Henry Bridge (Canning River), Mount Henry
The Mt Henry Bridge, which carries the Kwinana Freeway over the Canning River at Mount Henry, is a steel box girder bridge. The bridge and the southern extension to the Kwinana Freeway by 11 kilometres to Safety Bay of which it was an integral part, was opened in May 1982. The opening ceremony was performed by then South Perth Mayor, George Burnett, and then WA State Premier, Ray O'Connor. In 2005, the bridge was both widened and strengthened to accommodate a two track railway line within a median rail corridor down the middle of the Freeway, linking Perth and Mandurah by rail.
The abutments for Perth's Kwinana Freeway extension bridges are believed to be a World's first, in the combination of integrated Reinforced Earth abutments with full height precast facing panels. This combination allowed bridge spans to be minimized whilst maintaining simple and rapid erection procedures and a high quality finish matching in-situ structures on earlier sections of the Freeway. The name Henry comes originally from Lieut John Henry of HMS Challenger who led an expedition to trace the Canning River's headwaters in June 1829.
Goongoonup Bridge (Swan River), East Perth
 The original Bunbury Bridge (right) was a single line timber railway bridge which took the railway line across the Swan River at East Perth near where Claise Brook enters the river. It was built as part of the Armadale line, which was opened to traffic on 2nd May 1889. The original stations were Perth, Kelmscott and Armadale. Cannington and Welshpool opened later in 1897 and 1898 repectively. The bridge was named Bunbury Bridge because the line was to be extended to Bunbury in the state's south-west, which occurred in 1891. The present double track concrete structure called the Goongoonup Bridge was constructed and brought into operation in September 1991 when Perth's suburban railway lines were electrified. It replaced its aging predecessor, ending the days of 'crossing delays' forever. The latter was demolished at the beginning of 1996.
Windan Bridge (Swan River), East Perth
 Perth's largest roadway project, the $313m Graham Farmer Freeway, was designed as a northern city bypass. The contract for the project included a bridge crossing over the Swan River, a 6.5km bypass and WA's first 1.6km road tunnel (Northbridge Tunnel). The Transfield Thiess Joint Venture chose a reinforced concrete incremental launch technique for the Swan River Bridge, which has been used on most large bridge projects in WA and also Melbourne's Bolte Bridge. The design brief stated that the six-lane road bridge had to be identical to the Goongoongup (Bunbury) rail bridge which runs parallel to it, only metres away. The incremental launch technique suited the shallowness of the Swan River, allowing appropriate pier spacing.
The bridge sections, each 24m long and 14m wide were constructed at a casting bay on the western side of the river and launched from two separate casting yards, to make innovative use of the restricted space. Once in position, the two separate structures carrying the east and west-bound traffic lanes were linked by a concrete pour along the centre.
Barkers Bridge (Swan River), Guildford/Caversham
 This is a timber bridge over the Swan River between Meadow Street, Guildford and West Swan Road, Caversham, linking Guildford and Caversham. Earlier bridges across the Swan River at this point were erected in 1855 and 1900. The 1855 bridge was constructed by Captain E.W. Ducane to the plan of an American railway bridge. Roses planted at the time of its construction as part of the beautifications of the approaches still survive. The current structure crosses a wide stretch of floodplain on the Caversham side. The piles are whole Jarrah trunks and the roadway is also carried on whole tree trunks. Some of the piles on the floodplain have been replaced by steel posts. The earthworks of earlier bridges (probably dating back to the original bridge) remain adjacent to the present bridge.
The bridge developed as a well known rendez-vous point for locals on the way to town around the turn of the 20th century. A stand of licac trees were planted to give shade to travellers waiting for a ferry ride across the Swan River at this point.
Canning Bridge (Canning River), Canning Bridge
 Canning Bridge, comprising two almost identical timber bridges, eastbound (1937) and westbound (1958), carries Canning Highway over the Canning River between Applecross and Como. It is a rare example of a bridge consisting of two adjacent structures built at different times. Since 1829, the river crossing here was part of the first road link between the city of Perth and the port of Fremantle. The original Canning Bridge was built at this location in 1849 by Henry Trigg, replacing a ferry. This bridge was replaced in 1908, and then again by the current structures in 1937 and 1958.
The bridge has been the focus of recreational activities in the past and the present day, including organised sporting events, and as a venue for informal recreational activities. It achieved prominence in 1962, as the end point for rowing at the VIIth British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The fishing platform underneath the 1958 structure is one of the few remaining of its kind.
 Helena River Bridge, Guildford
This timber road bridge carries Great Eastern Highway over the Helena River and into the town centre of Guildford via Johnson Street. The bridge, which has a concrete deck, is approximately 100 metres in length, and stands approximately 2-3 metres high. Erected in 1950, it is the last bridge to be built in the Perth metropolitan area to be constructed out of timbers logged in the jarrah forests of the south west of Western Australia. All subsequent bridges were made of concrete and steel using more contemporary construction methods.
Garratt Road Bridge (Swan River), Bayswater
 In 1933, the Perth suburb of Bayswater introduced its first primitive Town Planning Scheme, about 30 years ahead of most other local governments of its time. This scheme reinforced the location of the already developing industrial area in the east of the district, and set aside land for future residential growth. The construction of a road bridge linking Maylands and Bayswater with Belmont, on the southern bank of the Swan River, was high on the list of priorities. The Great Depression of the 1930's was devastating to Bayswater as much as anywhere else, with huge numbers of local residents finding themselves unemployed. Many lived in squalid conditions in tent settlements for years at a time. One such settlement was at the northern end of Beechboro Road. To assist them, Bayswater council built the all-timber Garratt Road Bridge, using male members of the tent settlement in a 'sustenance labour' workforce to erect it. Payment for their work was in food, clothing and shelter until the depression eased.
An increase in traffic caused by the development of new suburbs in the Belmont Shire led to the bridge being duplicated in the early 1970s with similar bridge. The eastern bridge carried southbound traffic to Belmont, the western bridge carries northbound traffic to Bayswater and Maylands.
 Fremantle Traffic Bridge (Swan River), East Fremantle
The Fremantle Traffic Bridge carries Stirling Highway across the Swan River at East Fremantle. The first use of the site was as a ferry base. The first road bridge across the river at this locality was erected in 1866. The current structure replaced it in 1939 and was a necessary piece of local infrastructure for Fremantle to cope with its growing involcement as a naval port. The road deck is built on a timber structure of beams and posts made from rough shapen jarrah logs mounted on concrete piles. The wider spans in the centre are supported by steel beams on four pier structures.
The bridge was designed by E W (Ernie) Godfrey for the Main Roads Department. Alongside the bridge is the new rail bridge which was erected upstream from the original rail bridge. It was built and opened in 1964 as part of an upgrade of port facilities which included the building of the Fremantle Port Authority building, the Fremantle Passenger Terminal and the North Fremantle container terminal.
Stirling Bridge (Swan River), East Frementle
 The Stirling Bridge, which crosses the Swan River north-west of the Port of Fremantle, was opened 17th May 1974 by the WA Premier, Sir Charles Court. At 415 metres in length, Stirling Bridge was the longest public road bridge built in Western Australia at that time. It was built to ease the load of road traffic using the Fremantle Traffic Bridge, which carries Stirling Highway across the Swan River at the north-eastern extremity of the Port of Fremantle's Inner Harbour. The bridge was first mooted in the 1963 Metropolitan Region Scheme, at which time land was purchased and reserved for a future north-south highway and transport corridor for regional traffic within the Metropolitan Region.
Stirling Bridge was part of the first stage of the Fremantle Eastern Bypass, between High Street, Fremantle and Healy Road, Hamilton Hill. The Bypass, which as yet remains uncompleted, was designed to cater for heavy traffic movements generated by the Fremantle Port and industrial areas in the South West Corridor, as well as increased passenger vehicle movements, thereby allowing the road system to cope with growth in the Metropolitan Region that was putting increasing pressure on Swan River crossings. Stirling Bridge is the next of only two road bridges west of The Narrows, the other being the timber Fremantle Traffic Bridge a short way downstream.
The Causeway and Heirrison Island
The Causeway (Swan River), East Perth and Victoria Park
The Causeway is erected in the vicinity of the furtherest point upstream to which navigation of the Swan River was originally possible. It was to this point that the first Europeans to visit the Swan River, Willem de Valmingh's exploratory team, came by boat in 1796. In the early years of the Swan River colony, the only way across the Swan River from Perth was via a ferry service at The Narrows, which is the tip of the South Perth peninsula across the water from Mt Eliza. The 1845 Hillman map is the first to show the 'track to Canning District' as being linked to the eastern side of the town of Perth by the first Causeway, a series of wooden bridges across the Swan River that also straddled the marshes of the 'Heirrison Islands'.
With the construction of this important direct land-link from Perth to the south, the ferry across The Narrows was little used, except for local traffic to and from South Perth, as the peninsula was no longer a necessary link in the southward route. Up until that time, the Heirrison Islands were part of an extensive stretch of marshlands through which the Buswood Canal had been cut in 1831 to allow boat passage from Fremantle to Guildford. The canal served to divide the higher marshy ground into two distinct areas - Burswood Island and the Heirrison Islands. In 1839, a dam is constructed across the Swan River between the Perth shore and Heirrison Islands, and being a dam rather than a bridge, it became known as the Causeway. The name was retained for subsequent bridges built here, the first joining of the shores of the Swan River here with a bridge, occurring in 1843 (photo and information). This bridge remained in use until 1947. The post-war baby boom and increased immigration brought rapid growth to Australia's towns and cities, and growth in the number of vehicles and traffic increased greatly. Governments across Australia pursued road construction with great vigour, and it was at this time that the present Causeway was built and the boundaries of Heirrison Island were clearly defined with the building of the island's seawalls.
 Right: Guildford Road bridge and the two railway bridges alongside it
Guildford Road Bridge, Guildford
Guildford Road Bridge was constructed in 1937 to service increased transport loads to the Perth hinterland as population increased. It links Guildford and West Guildford (now Bassendean) at a river crossing point that has been in use since 1831, on the site of two previous bridges. The bridge was designed and supervised by E.W. Godfrey, Transport Engineer for the Main Roads Department from 1928 to 1957. During this period, Godfrey was responsible for the design of all road bridges in the State, as well as overseeing construction of the major ones.
The bridge is representative of the standard design and construction of timber bridges in Western Australia in the period of the 1930s and 1940s. It is an important landmark when viewed from the river and terminates the vista up river when viewed from Point Reserve and Kings Park Meadow.
Guildford Road Bridge continues to be a regional landmark for the indigenous population, who have used the site as a meeting place and camping ground since before European settlement in Western Australia. The Guildford area has always had significance for the indigenous community. The Swan River in particular was highly respected as it was believed that the 'Waughal', responsible for the formation of the Swan River, inhabited the deep, calm waters of the Guildford area.
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