Queens Bridge (Melbourne)

For other uses, see Queen's Bridge (disambiguation).

Queen's Bridge
Coordinates37°49′14″S 144°57′41″E / 37.820461°S 144.961384°E / -37.820461; 144.961384
CarriesRoad, trams, pedestrians
CrossesYarra River
LocaleMelbourne, Australia
Heritage status[1]
Characteristics
Total length314 ft (96 m)
Width99 ft (30 m)
History
Constructed byDavid Munro
Opened1889
ReplacesFalls Bridge[2][3]
Location
Map

The Queen's Bridge is a historic road bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The bridge was built in 1889 and has five wrought iron plate girder spans and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.[1][4][5] The bridge was built by contractor David Munro and replaced a timber footbridge built in 1860.[6][7]

The bridge is a very flat arch, and has five spans constructed of wrought iron plate girders. The bridge rests on iron cylinders filled with concrete, in groups of eight, with arched bracing between.[8] It connects Market Street and William Street on the north bank to Queensbridge Street to the south. Trams on route 58 also cross the bridge.

In 1910, Houdini leapt from the bridge while shackled and escaped in less than one minute.[9]

  1. ^ a b "Queens Bridge, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1448, Heritage Overlay HO791". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  2. ^ "TODAY IS THE JUBILEE of the opening of Queen's Bridge". The Age. No. 29632. Victoria, Australia. 18 April 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 16 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "THE FALLS-BRIDGE.: THE OLD AND THE NEW". The Age. No. 10963. Victoria, Australia. 15 April 1890. p. 6. Retrieved 16 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ City of Melbourne. "Bridges of Melbourne: Bridge Management Plan" (PDF). www.melbourne.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 July 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  5. ^ "OPENING OF THE QUEENS-BRIDGE". Illustrated Australian News and Musical Times. No. 420. Victoria, Australia. 1 May 1890. p. 19 (NEW ZEALAND EDITION.). Retrieved 16 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "THE NEW QUEEN'S BRIDGE". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 13, 670. Victoria, Australia. 17 April 1890. p. 9. Retrieved 16 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "VHD". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Queens Bridge (listing VICH1448)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  9. ^ "Houdini's death-defying 1910 escape from the Yarra". pickle.nine.com.au. Retrieved 17 August 2020.