Built in two complementary sections forty years apart (1863 and 1903), Kings Bridge near Launceston, Tasmania, is a very elegant and gracefully arched, open girder steel bridge which carries Bridge Road/Trevallyn Road across the Tamar River. Built to carry main road traffic north from Launceston to the town on the coasts of Bass Strait, the bridge is now protected from heavy West Tamar traffic by the newer adjoining Paterson Bridge, which was brought into service in the 1960s. Kings Bridge is now reserved for local traffic only.
Part of the bridge's appeal is that it is the perfect terminating element to the renowned Launceston Gorge within the Trevallyn State Reserve. The reserve is bounded by the South Esk River on all but the northern side. In the east is the Trevallyn Lake, formed by the Trevallyn Dam, and in the east is Cataract Gorge.

Cataract Gorge is a major landmark in the City of Launceston and represents a cultural signature for the city. It is the steep-sided entrance of the South Esk River to the Tamar River that provides the picture-postcard backdrop for the bridge. The water in the Gorge persists with a maximum depth of 1.5 m and a maximum permanent depth of 0.5-1 m.
The gorge has a long history of recreational use, picnics, nature walks and swimming since the nineteenth century. Cataract Gorge was recognised for its awesome beauty by early white explorers of Port Dalrymple. It is listed in tourist guides from the 1870s, and remains Launceston major natural tourist attraction today.

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